Collaborative Business Solutions for the Petroleum Industry

Kisker, Holger. SAP AG, Walldorf. Germany

Total business community integration was once only a dream, but the Internet has now turned this dream into a reality. By taking advantage of the Internet technology available, enterprises now have the opportunity to build collaborative hubs that allow them to integrate their business processes with their customers, suppliers and business partners. Supply chains are turning into supply webs, and are getting more and more complex with the growth of existing and additional intermediaries. Public supply chain hubs and Private Exchanges are able to link together all partners of these growing networks, and streamline the processes in which they are jointly involved. To satisfy the customers needs, the supply chain requires close integration with customer relationship management solutions for both operational and analytical efficiency. Complete integration combined with efficient ERP back end solutions are critical success factors for solutions in the new, new economy. These are crucial to achieve the anticipated benefits of the Internet that are available to the industry.