Digital trading platform for chemicals opens new ways to customers : New Covestro Direct Store is Online

Covestro's new digital B2B trading platform is off to a successful start. Customers of the materials manufacturer can now do business around the clock and with just a few clicks via the Covestro Direct Store available on a new platform under the linkcovestro.asellion.com. Covestro customers will be able to purchase chemical products conveniently, flexibly and securely via this digital sales channel.

'Nowadays, customers expect to have flexible ways to obtain the widest possible range of products and supplementary services through different channels,' explains Dr. Markus Steilemann, CEO of Covestro. 'With our new Direct Store, we are adapting the buying experience to the changed requirements and are offering new methods in addition to our existing digital and analog sales channels.'

Simple, flexible and secure buying
The Covestro Direct Store has been designed over the past one-and-a-half years reflecting the demands of customers around the globe. It will offer around 80 products for manufacturing high-performance plastics and is intended to make buying chemicals more customer-friendly and efficient.
Customers will receive regular personalised offers at clear real-time conditions and will be able to purchase and review all relevant information.

In turn, Covestro's sales staff benefit from an additional, personalized digital doorway to their customers. Covestro sellers will present their company's products directly under the Covestro brand and will be able to respond to the different needs of their customers. 'Purchasing products in the chemical industry can be a long process and we've built the Covestro Direct Store to address this challenge. By using this digital sales channel, Covestro sellers and buyers don't need to worry about the negotiation part of the conversation as this is all done within the platform. Instead, they can make better use of personal interaction and build a sustainable business connection. Ultimately, customers and sellers benefit equally,' says Thorsten Lampe, Managing Director of the B2B trading platform Asellion, on which the Covestro Direct Store is hosted.

Scalable software solution for third party providers
Currently, the Covestro Direct Store is the only supplier store on the Asellion platform. Only Covestro sellers and their customers have access to the Covestro Direct Store. However, the platform technology of Asellion is designed as a scalable and secure software-as-a-service(SaaS) solution, so that in the future third party providers and other manufacturers will, as far as possible, have the option to host their own direct store powered by Asellion. After a test and development phase, the platform is expected to open for external providers during the course of this year.

Asellion is a wholly owned subsidiary of Covestro AG based in Amsterdam and is part of the group-wide digital strategy 'Digital@Covestro.' With the comprehensive program, the materials manufacturer wants to digitalize the operational business and customer communication and develop new, digital business models.

If you are interested in further information on the new Covestro Direct Store: Please find thisvideoand theCovestro Direct Store Teaser online.

About Covestro:
With 2018 sales of EUR 14.6 billion, Covestro is among the world's largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, construction, wood processing and furniture, and electrical and electronics industries. Other sectors include sports and leisure, cosmetics, health and the chemical industry itself. Covestro has 30 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 16,800 people (calculated as full-time equivalents) at the end of 2018.

Find more information atwww.covestro.com.
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Forward-looking statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Covestro AG. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Covestro's public reports. These reports are available atwww.covestro.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to make them conform to future events or developments.