Online platform for cement trading
The e-commerce platform Ecement (//www.ecement.pro" target="_blank" >www.ecement.pro:www.ecement.pro) has been in operation since March of this year. The objective of this service, according to the operator, the start-up eBau.pro Handelsplattformen GmbH, is to digitize trading processes in the cement industry and in this way render market activities transparent.
“The future of trading in building materials lies in e-commerce. More and more companies in the construction industry recognize the significance of the digitizing process chains for their competitiveness,” says Christian Landes, founder and Managing Director of the company eBau.pro Handelsplattformen GmbH. All suppliers and buyers of cement can register on the website platform //www.ecement.pro" target="_blank" >www.ecement.pro:www.ecement.pro and participate in the auctions. In addition, the platform acts as brokers for concrete technology consultation and logistics services.
Positioning on the market
The German Federal Cartel Office, according to the platform operator, assesses the influence of Ecement on the cement market as positive. The trading platform can provide new competitive incentives for the building materials industry. A central characteristic of the e-commerce platform is that, during the auctions, the buyer remains anonymous. In this way, the price develops independently of any relationships with suppliers. The anonymity is removed only after contact has been established.
Buyers can state the price they are willing to pay for the item, the quantity they would like to buy, the quality required, and the plants from which they would like to buy the cement. The platform automatically invites sellers whose offers satisfy the specified framework conditions of the buyers to participate in the auction. The auction mechanism uses functions in both directions.
Auction procedure
The Buyer Auction is based on the principle of the so-called English Auction. In the course of the auction, prices increase at regular ascending steps. The first bidder who accepts the current price is awarded the item on sale. The platform is free of charge for the buyer.
The Seller Auction follows the principle of the Dutch Auction. This is an auction procedure with descending prices throughout the auction: i.e., the price drops in regular descending steps. The first bidder who accepts the current price is awarded the item on sale.
The Ecement team
Behind the online trading platform Ecement is the interdisciplinary team of Bau.pro Handelsplattformen GmbH. Experts from the building products industry, platform technology, e-commerce and digitization, as well as an innovative cooperative bank with extensive expertise in payment transactions, bundle their know-how to enable fair competition in cement trading. For financial implementation, ecement.pro, for example, will make trust accounts available in future and back the trade transactions with innovative insurance concepts – the Advisory Board of the trading platform includes representatives of the Volksbank in the Ortenau region in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, as well as the e-commerce service provider First Cash Solutions GmbH.
The trading platform Bau.pro Handelsplattformen GmbH is a start-up founded for the purpose of developing specialized e-commerce solutions for trading with standardized bulk building materials. All eBau.pro platforms stand for innovative, digital trading processes and follow the objectives of providing all participants with a fair and secure digital market place. The company banks on the combination of market expertise, agile start-up methods, and trust in an innovative cooperative bank.
