Buying Paper on The 'Net
Like the rest of the business-to-business dotcoms, the online paper procurement segment has seen its share of out-of-business signs in recent months. Still, despite the inevitable thinning of the dotcom ranks, the fact remains that the graphic arts is continuing to move toward e-commerce.
By 2003, 30 percent of all transactions for wood, paper or building products will be made online. And that number will rise to an estimated 75 to 80 percent by 2010.
Whether you are looking for a marketplace to sell or buy paper, or a supply chain management solution to help you streamline your inventory, there are a variety of options available today. Printing Impressions takes a look at what's currently available for printers in the e-marketplace.
PaperExchange is an online exchange that enables buyers and sellers to negotiate pricing and directly transact with one another through its marketplace. All paper is bought and sold by members through private, secured transactions. The site also offers a variety of online ordering, contract and inventory management solutions.
Paper2Print is an Internet-based e-commerce portal that connects printers, print buyers, distributors and paper mills, as well as provides solutions to better monitor and control inventory. The site enables users to identify supply chain partners, and then electronically transmit orders and receive orders via Paper2Print. Users can check on open orders, orders received, orders acknowledged, orders in production and completed orders.
PaperCatalog.com enables printers to locate, compare and request quotes on printing papers. This Website offers detailed information on mill brands, manufacturers and distributors. Users can also find the paper they are looking for with the paper search engine, which enables printers to search by brand name, manufacturer and paper classification.
ForestExpress has created an open electronic marketplace where paper buyers, distributors and suppliers can interact. The marketplace connects mills to their customers, merchants to both suppliers and customers, and paper buyers to their suppliers. It provides two ways to transact business: catalog sales and requests for quotation. Both transaction types include the complete set of order management functions and electronic documents necessary to conduct business.
Clickpaper.com provides a transactional platform to buy and sell pulp, paper and wood products. The Trade portion of the marketplace provides real-time prices on numerous physical and financial pulp, paper and wood products. The Match portion of the marketplace provides an environment to buy and sell, on a commission-free basis, products that do not fit the terms or specifications of the products that are posted in the Trade area.
Nextier Solutions offers the EZ-Suite of products, a series of Web-based collaborative supply-chain management solutions developed for all trading partners involved in the paper industry. They increase operational efficiencies by automating routine tasks and linking members of the supply chain—all online—in real time.
