Press release
China
November 7, 2017

Evonik opens online flagship store on Alibaba

• Specialty chemicals company takes a first but purposeful step in China to sell products in the digital web
• Provide additional access to Evonik products and services for small and medium-sized enterprises in China
• As a starting point selected products available online to serve coatings, automotive, and construction industries

Evonik, one of the world’s leading specialty chemicals companies, is advancing the steps of digitalization in China by opening an online flagship store on 1688.com, a business-to-business online wholesale marketplace owned by Alibaba.

“This cooperation is an important milestone in the execution of our digitalization strategy”, said Henrik Hahn, Evonik’s Chief Digital Officer, during the store’s Opening Ceremony held on Nov. 3, 2017. “We are creating a new way to access our products and to interact with our customers in this journey to e-commerce.” 

The brand-new flagship store at the starting point will sell several selected products produced by Evonik, including defoamers, PMMA, silica and titanium dioxide, under the brand TEGO®, PLEXIGLAS®, AEROSIL® and AEROXIDE® respectively. The e-commerce platform will provide an additional and easy to access procurement process as well as services for customers in the fields of coatings, automotive, and construction.

“Digitalization is an irreversible trend that presents both challenges and opportunities,” said Dr. Claas Klasen, President of Evonik Asia Pacific North. “The Alibaba flagship store is an example for Evonik putting new business models into practice and will help us quickly to enter the fast-growing online market in China. We will take the initiative to explore the new business opportunities, and thus get an even better understanding of customers needs and wishes in a digitalized world.”

“We are pleased to welcome Evonik on-boarding 1688.com,” said Yang Meng, Vice President, General Manager of 1688. “1688.com aims to serve tens of millions of small to medium-sized enterprises by providing diversified product sources and services. We have made great efforts to attract companies like Evonik to join our platform. I believe the cooperation with Evonik will greatly enrich the product resources of 1688. Let’s work together to serve millions of enterprises in a more efficient and flexible way!”

1688.com currently features over a hundred top brands and has become the number one professional procurement and marketing platform for industrial products in China.

Please visit Evonik’s Alibaba shop at evonik.1688.com.

Company information

Evonik, the creative industrial group from Germany, is one of the world leaders
in specialty chemicals. Profitable growth and a sustained increase in the value of the company form the heart of Evonik’s corporate strategy. Its activities focus on the key megatrends health, nutrition, resource efficiency and globalization. Evonik benefits specifically from its innovative prowess and integrated technology platforms. Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world with more than 36,000 employees. In fiscal 2016 the enterprise generated sales of around €12.7 billion and an operating profit (adjusted EBITDA) of about €2.165 billion.

Evonik’s international activities are organized into six regions. The Asia Pacific North region consists of China, Taiwan, Japan & Korea, and is headquartered in Shanghai. Sales in Asia Pacific North reached 1,947 million euros in 2016. Evonik regards China as one of the driving forces of the global economy and we consequently endeavour to grow our business here. The company now employs about 3,000 employees and has in total of 10 production sites in China.

Disclaimer

In so far as forecasts or expectations are expressed in this press release or where our statements concern the future, these forecasts, expectations or statements may involve known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results or developments may vary, depending on changes in the operating environment. Neither Evonik Industries AG nor its group companies assume an obligation to update the forecasts, expectations or statements contained in this release.