German Partners To Create B2B Portal

Bayer AG, Infraserv Höchst and Deutsche Telekom are planning
to construct an Internet marketplace for the chemical and
pharmaceuticals industry.

The marketplace will initially trade in services such as laboratory
needs, electrical and engineering materials, and also installation
components together with construction material and trade specific services.

The new market place will also be open to other businesses, and is planned
to launch by the middle of this year. From the end of 2000, extended
functions such as auctions, announcements and financial services are
planned.

Infraserv Höchst KG already runs an online store at shop.infraserv.com,
which supplies over 60,000 trade specific products, according to company
statements. Bayer brings its comprehensive electronic product catalogue of
around 120,000 products in total to the site, which will enable ordering
from 540 different manufacturers at drastically reduced processing costs.

By
the end of the year, the new portal should provide more than double its
initial services. Deutsche Telekom will be providing the infrastructure
for the project.

Bayer already already has a stake in the market places CheMatch and ChemConnect. The
processing costs are expected to drop by 60 to 80 percent through the use of
the Internet.