Beneficial Effect of Tools for Cooperation and Integration between Chemical Companies and their Customers for Mutual Relationship Strengthening

Abstract

The market globalization and the increasing intensity of competition lead, in the chemical industry, to integration of value network subjects and their deeper technological, information, and business bonds, often resulting in proprietary interconnection. The paper summarizes the theoretical background and research results relating to the significance and forms of interconnection of value network subjects within strengthening mutual relationships, particularly between producers and customers on industrial markets with products intended for manufacturing consumption. The research showed that lots of activities and forms of interconnection are greatly beneficial for purchasers of chemical products. Examples of such activities are as follows: common product research and development, common product testing at customer's premises, provision of the product usage/processing know-how, sharing information on the development of the industry and the market conditions between suppliers and their customers, sharing on-line information systems for monitoring the order settlement status, and the participation of the supplier in modernization of customer's operations. Unbeneficial for them is cooperation of producers with customers during realization of customer's production. Relationship marketing is not highly developed in the chemical industry in the Czech Republic in contemporary heavy market environment.