MSDS Compliance: MSDS Software Vendors, Service Providers & More

Industrial solvents alert

Industrial revolutions have overcome human’s most daring challenges, leading to technological development and great advances that have contributed to improving welfare and living standards. At the same time, industrial activities have increased dramatically the need for energy and raw materials. The different processes involved often need a large variety of chemicals; among these, solvents are widespread used and have slowly become part of our daily lives, not just being used in factories, but also in our homes. There is little known about them, and we are unaware that solvents with potential health effects are utilized daily in order to produce a number of commonly used products.

Some solvents are known to be flammable and can cause explosions. But solvents have also been associated with different health problems, and many are potential carcinogens. Exposure to solvents can occur via ingestion, breathing vapors, direct eye contact or even absorption into the body through the skin. Manipulation of most solvents must strictly follow Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) instructions and appropriate measures must be taken in case of accident. Solvents compounds are usually very resistant to degradation, and, therefore, they are persistent and tend to accumulate in the environment. They are often volatile and can easily reach the air, water and soils, depending on the solvent’s physico-chemical properties.

Chlorinated solvents are of particular awareness due to their notorious health effects on humans. They are used in industrial degreasing processes, dry cleaning, auto manufacturing and repairing, auto paint, paints in general, glues, building materials, aerosol sprays, and in various household products such as shoe polish or typewriter connection fluid. Exposure to chlorinated solvents can cause skin irritation, headache, weakness, dizziness, facial numbness, unconsciousness, difficulty in walking and speaking, confusion, euphoria, nausea, vomiting, liver and kidney damage, immunological and endocrine problems, menstrual problems and spontaneous abortions (in women). Long-term exposure to some chlorinated solvents can cause cancer, mainly lung, colon-rectum, esophageal, and bladder cancers.

Some chlorinated solvents often used today are Perchloroethylene (PCE), Trichloroethylene (TCE), and 1,1,1-TCA (Trichloroethane). PCE is mainly used in dry cleaning, which consists of processes that use solvents instead of water for cleaning clothes and textiles. MSDS identifies this compound as non-flammable, stable, and as a dangerous health hazard (value 2), thus requiring protective measures and breathing apparatus when manipulating the product. PCE can cause from short-term health problems to cancer after long-term exposure. TCE is widely used as a metal degreaser and solvent for cleaning metal parts in industry. TCE is a proven animal carcinogen, and has been lately classified as a probable human carcinogen. Similarly to PCE, MSDS classifies this product as non-flammable, stable, with dangerous health effects and chronic carcinogenic effects for animals (classified A3) and probable for humans (2A). 1,1,1-TCA is less toxic compared to other chlorinated solvents such as PCE or TCE. However, it has been proven to deplete the ozone layer, and, therefore, its production has declined dramatically in the last years. On the other hand, it is not classified as human carcinogen.

-MSDSCompliance.com Team

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SAP to Acquire TechniData AG Acquisition of Long-Standing SAP Partner Will Help Accelerate SAP’s Sustainability Transformation

WALLDORF, Germany – April 21, 2010 – Continuing its focus on providing market-leading sustainability solutions to customers worldwide, SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced its intent to acquire TechniData AG, the world’s leading provider of product safety and environmental, health and safety (EHS) solutions. Through this acquisition, SAP intends to expand its product portfolio as well as its market and thought leadership in sustainability.

Based in Markdorf, Germany, TechniData has been a strategic SAP partner for more than 15 years, and has helped shape SAP’s sustainability offerings in the EHS arena. Employing nearly 500 people, TechniData provides systems integration, managed EHS services, regulatory content and software to help companies comply with regulatory challenges in these areas. With SAP announcing its strategic commitment to sustainability in spring of 2009, this acquisition is the next logical step between two companies that are both driven by the belief that sustainability is core to all business processes in the future.

“SAP and TechniData have enjoyed a very productive, long-term relationship, and we are truly excited about joining the SAP family,” said Juergen Schwab, chief executive officer, TechniData AG. “We believe that the scale of SAP’s development and field resources combined with our expertise in the EHS and product safety domains can help us bring the value of sustainability to more customers worldwide.”

This acquisition is in line with SAP’s strategy to complement existing applications and solutions with smart purchases that offer innovative technologies and functional capabilities. The strategy is guided by careful market assessments and focuses on adding value to customers’ investments in SAP, expanding the company’s abilities to support customers and partners in their sustainability approach. Through the acquisition of TechniData, SAP gains both a more comprehensive service offering and the talents of accomplished employees with deep knowledge of customer processes as well as SAP products and integration technologies.

The SAP® EHS Management application helps companies address regulatory compliance in the areas of product, plant and people safety. It helps to reduce both EHS risks and compliance cost at the same time, a result unobtainable in traditional labor-intensive and error-prone non-IT-supported compliance processes. The solution is designed to natively integrate into SAP® Business Suite software.

“Sustainability is about holistically managing economic, environmental and social risks and opportunities. IT can help organizations execute their sustainability strategies in a way that drives short- and long-term profitability,” said Peter Graf, chief sustainability officer and executive vice president of Sustainability Solutions, SAP. “SAP and TechniData share this comprehensive view of sustainability. As a result, our customers enjoy more homogeneity of their IT infrastructure, lower cost of integration, and cutting edge sustainability processes combined with comprehensive analytics and reporting capabilities.”

SAP anticipates that the acquisition will be completed in the beginning of the third quarter of 2010 and will provide additional details about future plans after the closing of the transaction. Terms and purchase price are not publicly disclosed.

About TechniData
TechniData is a leading provider of end-to-end solutions for Environment, Health and Safety (EHS). This includes solutions for Product Safety and Stewardship, Health and Safety as well as Environmental Performance. The company, which was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Markdorf at Lake Constance (Germany), helps around 1,600 customers worldwide to shape their business processes in a way that is sustainable, efficient and legally compliant. The TechniData portfolio includes process consulting, software, implementation, EHS expert services and knowledge-based content products providing information on laws, phrases, rules and report templates. TechniData and SAP AG have established a strategic development partnership for the SAP EHS Management software solution. In fiscal year 2008, TechniData recorded sales of EUR 64.9 million with a workforce of around 500 in Germany and abroad. The TechniData Group is represented through subsidiaries and branches in Europe, America and Asia. Further information is available at http://www.technidata.com.

About SAP
SAP is the world’s leading provider of business software(*), offering applications and services that enable companies of all sizes and in more than 25 industries to become best-run businesses. With more than 95,000 customers in over 120 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE, under the symbol “SAP.” For more information, visit www.sap.com.

(*) SAP defines business software as comprising enterprise resource planning, business intelligence, and related applications.

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “predict,” “should” and “will” and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP’s future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (”SEC”), including SAP’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.

Copyright © 2010 SAP AG. All rights reserved.
SAP, R/3, mySAP, mySAP.com, xApps, xApp, SAP NetWeaver and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries all over the world. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies. Data contained in this document serve informational purposes only. National product specifications may vary.

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For more information, financial community only:
Stefan Gruber, SAP, +49 (6227) 7-44872, investor@sap.com, CET
Martin Cohen, SAP, +1 (212) 653-9619, investor@sap.com, EDT

For more information, analysts only:
Somill Hwang, SAP, + 1 (650) 687-3685, somill.hwang@sap.com, PDT

For more information, press only:
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Shabana Khan, +1 (650) 461-1332, shabana.khan@sap.com, PDT
SAP Press Office, +49 (6227) 7-46315, CET; +1 (610) 661-3200, press@sap.com, EDT

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