Press & News
September 13, 2006
SOLVAY PIONEERS E-BILLING SOLUTION IN EUROPE
An innovative customer oriented offering compliant with strict EU rules
Solvay is the first European Chemical group to offer an innovative e-billing solution to its customers, aimed at facilitating the treatment of invoices and cutting costs while complying with strict European Union requirements.
The e-billing solution which Solvay is implementing in its chemical and plastics sectors allows the distribution of legally formal invoices through electronic mail. This generates a number of advantages for customers, such as the optimization of the circulation of the invoice within their organization and shorter processing times, thanks to automated systems and real-time information.
Every e-bill is accompanied by a qualified electronic signature compliant with the provisions of the most recent relevant European Union legislation. The electronic signature that accompanies the invoice, as set out in EU legislation, guarantees the authenticity of the invoice’s origin and the integrity of its contents. It has the same value as the handwritten signature of a physical person, which ensures its validity.
The leading edge solution, providing substantial cost savings for invoice senders and recipients, is based on software licensed from AuthentiDate, a German based specialist for global software solutions using digital signatures and time stamps.
The e-billing solution complements the other Solvay solutions in e-business: customers can be integrated through Solvay’s Extranet or through Elemica (www.elemica.com), the chemical industry's order processing and supply chain management network.
The Group’s subsidiaries and affiliates which apply the new e-billing solution include Solvay Chemicals International, Solvay Advanced Polymers, Solvay Benvic, Solvay Solexis and SolVin. Solvay Chemicals International, acting as a frontrunner, has been implementing the e-billing solution in Spain with a major international chemical products distribution group, since last July.
About SOLVAY
SOLVAY is an international chemical and pharmaceutical Group with headquarters in Brussels. It employs some 30,000 people in 50 countries. In 2005 its consolidated sales amounted to EUR 8.6 billion generated by its three activity sectors: Chemicals, Plastics and Pharmaceuticals. SOLVAY (Euronext : SOLB.BE - Bloomberg: SOLB.BB - Reuters: SOLBt.BR) is listed on the Euronext stock exchange in Brussels. Details are available at www.solvay.com
About AuthentiDate
AuthentiDate is a specialist for electronic signatures and time stamps and the initiator of the concept of central, electronic signatures en mass. Hence, business processes such as invoicing and invoice reception, scanning, document management and archiving can be replicated electronically according to the legal requirements.
The AuthentiDate signature solutions have been used for many years by companies that are active nationally and internationally and enable cost reduction and process optimisation by replacing paper processes.
AuthentiDate solutions take the strict restrictions of the German Signature Act and the European Signature Directive into account and are certified for use in the necessary areas in accordance with the German Commercial Code, the German Charges Regulations and German Accounting Principles. AuthentiDate International AG was accredited in 2001 by the German Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) and operates a Trust Center especially for time stamps services in accordance with signature law.
The AuthentiDate corporate group is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange (USA) under the symbol ADAT.
