SAP offers software as Reach deadlines loom

15 May 2008 18:07  [Source: ICIS news]

TORONTO (ICIS news)--SAP and partner TechniData are offering a comprehensive software solution to help chemical companies comply with the European Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (Reach) regulation and meet upcoming implementation deadlines, the Germany-based business software firm said on Thursday.

 

Many chemical companies were expected to miss the 2008 Reach deadline as they underestimated the level of enterprise-wide coordination, SAP said, citing a recent study by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

 

Firms remained uncertain about the type of technology commitment required to achieve compliance, it added.

 

They were unprepared despite the potential for significant business disruptions and revenue losses as non-compliant substances would be denied the right to trade within EU, it said.

 

SAP’s Reach compliance package would integrate with companies' existing enterprise resource planning, supply chain management and other functions, the company said.

 

It would manage data and track chemicals and evaluate their current Reach status.

 

It would also track quantities of single substances for a single legal entity or monitor substances on a corporate level covering multiple legal entities, and identify and rectify any compliance gaps, SAP added.

 

"Providing a single integrated solution for all Reach regulatory needs significantly reduces companies' compliance costs and implementation times," said Franz Hero, SAP vice president for chemicals.

 

"With global competition and economic pressures increasing exponentially, companies cannot afford to slow down for regulatory business disruptions,” he added.  

 

The first Reach compliance deadline is pre-registration, which runs from 1 June to 30 November 2008.

 

The remaining Reach deadlines will occur in 2010, 2013 and 2018, respectively.

 

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Author: Stefan Baumgarten
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