FAQ list

General eECD Project questions

• If we understand the eECD project correctly, does this mean that ECTA, EFTCO, Cefic-essenscia want to launch an electronic ECD portal in which Transport, Cleaning and Chemical companies can communicate and work together?

  Yes, going forward the 4 associations have kicked off the eECD project in 2016 and want to replace the current paper EFTCO Cleaning Document (introduced by ECTA-Cefic- EFTCO in 2005) with a transactional eECD Booklet in the cloud where information of common interest can be shared to work together more accurately, more sustainable and in a “real time” way. To enable this digital and paperless communication an eECD Application and Data Sharing Platform will be developed and demonstrated.

• Will the eECD process force the Transport and Chemical companies to use the electronic ECD?

  Once the new eECD process is fully tested and demonstrated in 2018, the associations will consider the electronic ECD process as a new and future best practice process going forward because the data quality and content of the electronic ECD can be validated by each party and will be much more reliable compared to the manual paper ECD process. Even though the use of the eECD process remains a voluntary system and companies will have the choice to keep working with the paper ECD, the plan forward is that the eECD is gradually replacing the paper ECD and both the paper ECD and digital eECD way of working will co-exist at the start. The paper ECD will also remain as back up process to ensure business continuity.

• Is this eECD process free of charge?

  No, participants using the electronic ECD process, will have to buy an annual license and pay a usage fee per eECD which will be very reasonable and according to the type and size (ECD annual capacity need) of each participating company. Given the eECD application is managed through a “not for profit” association, the use of the eECD platform will be “at cost” . This “not for profit” association set up ensures that nobody is monetizing the data of the participants/data providers while at the same time it allows to govern the data sharing platform in a neutral and independent way so trust can be gained & data security can be guaranteed. The eECD project is aiming to realize extra business value and community benefits through the digital eECD process. These community benefits are not existing and are not achievable today with the current ECD paper process.

• What about data security of my own company data?

  All the eECD application data, consisting of both, transactional data and reference master data (like equipment data, product catalog data, SDS,..) will be secured through the use of the Nxtport data custodian role and platform where we know the data are safe and securely stored without allowing any business analysis intelligence on any eECD data stored without approval of the individual data providers. Besides, the eECD data application and platform should be seen as a data transit platform that will enable and facilitate only transactional ECD data without storing all ECD data in a historical database. The eECD application will only allow to view the data and there is a clear role distinctions between the IT eECD application builder and the IT data platform provider and this to be able to guarantee the data security to the participants. Besides, the eECD process does not become a real database because eECD data will be overwritten on the data platform after 3 equipment cleaning transactions and as agreed within the data sharing policies & procedures of the “non for profit” association.

• What is the scope? Are “non EFTCO” cleaning stations allowed to use the eECD process?

  All cleaning stations can apply to use the electronic eECD process provided they follow the EFTCO cleaning guidelines as applicable today for the paper EFTCO cleaning document. Only cleaning stations who are using the paper EFTCO Cleaning Document will be allowed to use the digital eECD process and will be able to buy the eECD application license. Given the use of the eECD is voluntary, Non EFTCO cleaning stations can remain using their current paper processes, as done today however these non EFTCO documents and practices are not recommended to use by any of the associations ECTA, EFTCO or Cefic and are not considered as the European Chemical Industry best practice.

Questions related to the eECD process?

• Will cleaning orders be manually entered into the eECD application?

  No, the TOBE electronic eECD process starts with the validation of the cleaning request for a specific container or equipment number triggered by a cleaning order. The cleaning order itself is not captured in the eECD application. The cleaning order reference number will be (manually) added into the eECD application. In other words, only the cleaning order reference number will be captured in the eECD application and it is up to the Cleaning Company to accept and execute the cleaning in line with the cleaning order instructions which in many cases are pre-agreed.
  In case the cleaning workorder info is shared upfront with the Nxtport platform through an existing cleaning application (eg via Lynx Automation, Lucrasoft, Inforit or any other 3rd party ICT cleaning vendor connected to the Nxtport platform), these ECD cleaning workorder data fields might be prefilled by selecting and assigning the right cleaning order (supporting data) to the equipment number. If the cleaning order info is not known at the moment the container arrives for cleaning at the cleaning station, the cleaning order reference info will be allowed to enter manually into the eECD application.

• Will each party in the transactional process be able to track and trace the status of a specific eECD?

  Yes, the eECD status will be tracked from eECD creation up to eECD invalidation at the moment of loading and each participating company who purchase a licence and participates to the eECD process will be able to look up the status for his eECD’s involved. Besides, the eECD status can be looked up via a search screen and this based upon equipment nr, company name, ECD nr, cleaning or transport order reference and this provided the company searching for that info has right data access permissions to do so and the information has been provided at the time of the search.

• Will all SDS info be available in a central database for consultation ?

  At the start, at least a pdf version of the latest SDS info will be made available as reference data within the eECD process for those chemical companies joining the eECD process. This SDS info is linked to the product article information as defined by the producer and will be shared according to the permissions set on the eECD data sharing platform. Only companies who are allowed to see that information will obtain access. Even though the latest SDS info will be shared to enable a safe eECD transaction at the moment that info is required for cleaning, the eECD project is not providing a central database with all latest SDS info for free consultation.

• When is an eECD invalidated and what are the triggers?

  An eECD for a container or specific compartment will be invalidated at the moment of loading (by the loader who can be a chemical co or tank storage operator). In addition, an ECD invalidation will happen when a new cleaning operation is performed on the same equipment/compartment by the cleaning Company (eg extra cleaning steps due to more stringent cleaning instructions). At a later stage in the eECD project, there are thoughts to have an automatic invalidation of the ECD triggered by some business rule when an ECD has expired for certain products. Such improvement ideas are being captured and will be looked at in phase 2 of the eECD project.

• Is the electronic ECD accepted by insurance companies and authorities?

  From an insurance company point of view, it is certainly recommended that each individual company & participant checks in his country of operation if a digital ECD is being accepeted and equally to a paper ECD. Therefore, It is important to have a positive and written confirmation of your insurance company before you start working work with a digital eECD or go life. This important question is being further addressed as part of the eECD project and steering team.
  During the eECD project pilot phase and before project go life, this question is not yet applicable and relevant because it is decided that during the pilot phase the eECD process will to run both with the paper and the digital process in parallel.

Questions related to IT & connectivity?

• Can we connect directly to the Nxtport platform and can we have a B2B integration link?

  Yes, each company who want to use and connect to the eECD process will have 4 options to connect and this depending on the individual company needs, complexity and volume of eECD transactions. The connection development cost comes at the cost of the company and will depend on each option choosen. The simplest and cheapest way of connecting to the eECD data sharing platform, is using the eECD web application that will be built as part of the eECD pilot project. In addition, a second option will be foreseen to connect directly to the Nxtport data sharing platform using the eECD API or application programming interface. The third option is to connect via a 3rd party software provider that will offer the digital eECD solution as part of their ICT service offering. In addition, a combined option (eg Manual eECD usage combined with a message broker connection) will be provided where for instance supporting transport order data can be provided as inputs to the platform and this through an existing message broker like Elemica.

• How could we prepare ourselves and learn about the NxtPort platform. Is there an API specification or Sandbox API that can be shared? What connectivity protocols are supposed to be used and how can we test an API?

  The eECD API’s are in process of being developed as part of the eECD pilot project but you can already start to learn how to use them by testing against other existing NxtPort API’s. Here are the steps we advise you to take to get started.

  1. Check out the Start To Develop presentation
  2. Register for the UN/LOODE API LIVE at https://market.nxtport.eu
  3. Check-out our documentation at: https://github.com/NxtPort/UNLoCodes
  4. https://www.nxtport.eu/agenda/nxtport-workshop-start-to-develop
  5. For technical questions, join our slack channel here: https://nxtportcommunity.slack.com/ We will answer all your questions there.

  
  
• Does the eECD implementation always require a stable internet connection to connect to the data platform?

  To access the eECD application and to perform inputs or to visualize print the ECD an internet connection will be required. Nevertheless, a pdf version of an electronic ECD will also be foreseen and be able to be saved on a mobile device so it can be shown offline without internet. This can be usefull when an empty cleaned container which was loaded with ADR goods is stopped along the road by the police. In such case, the truck driver will be able to show the eECD on a handheld provided he made downloaded a pdf copy when he picked up the container at the cleaning station.

• Does the process stops when there is no internet connection or the platform is down?

  No, however the eECD pilot process will need to help us further to learn more and define workarounds where required. In any case, a printed paper ECD option remains always in place to guarantee 100% business continuity.