SAP Powers Growth at ABB
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HANOVER, Germany, March 15 // -- SAP AG (NYSE:SAP) today announced that ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, is furthering its commitment to SAP as the company's global IT solution provider. The group plans to upgrade its existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) installation to SAP(R) ERP 2005 to simplify processes, enable change and drive profitable growth across its operations in more than 100 countries. ABB will leverage the latest release of SAP's market-leading ERP application as the company's main business process platform, tapping the SAP(R) GRC Access Control application from the set of SAP(R) solutions for governance, risk and compliance (GRC) to help meet U.S. Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX) requirements and additional regulations in other markets in which the group operates. Built on the SAP NetWeaver(R) platform, SAP ERP will help ABB gain the flexibility to run administrative processes from shared service centers and further optimize services and business agility through integration with third-party applications used by customers and suppliers. The announcement was made at the CeBIT trade fair, being held in Hanover, Germany, March 15 - 21.
Rather than taking a "rip and replace" approach to IT and business process infrastructure, ABB is identifying and integrating local best practices and third-party applications used in global operations. The flexible architecture underlying SAP ERP together with the SAP GRC Access Control application will help the company align these local processes with global accounting standards and policies for GRC management. This will help ABB cut administrative costs, accelerate workflows and support faster acquisitions and divestments.
"As a global leader in power and automation technology, we need a solution that empowers users to maintain their local best practices while helping ensure alignment with our common, global aims," said Haider Rashid, chief information officer of ABB. "SAP helps us to further improve ABB's operational excellence. This solution will support our push to increase efficiency and further broaden our global sourcing, production and sales activities. We will achieve efficiency gains and further strong operational improvements in simplifying our business processes. With SAP, we are on a clear path to becoming one, simplified organization, and we are doing so with the goal of achieving a significant return on the investment."
ABB will focus its SAP implementation on human resources (HR), finance and administration (F&A), Information Systems (IS) and corporate governance processes to better target efficiencies including shorter monthly closing cycles and a significant reduction in administrative costs. In upgrading to the latest release of SAP's market-leading ERP application, ABB ultimately plans to extend its current SAP user base of 22,000 to at least 88,000 employees.
"Today's market pressures of globalization and regulatory compliance compel companies to take new approaches and align their operations to simplify their business and IT infrastructures," said Leo Apotheker, executive board member and president of Customer Solutions and Operations at SAP. "The rollout at ABB underlines how SAP's integrated suite applications and compliance controls help companies evolve business processes for greater efficiency, flexibility and agility. SAP continues to deliver the comprehensive solution sets that meet the distinct industry and business process needs of CEOs, CIOs and information workers and empower companies to achieve business model innovation."
The first phase of the rollout is under way for operations in more than 30 countries, including China, Finland, Germany, India, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States and the entire South Asia Pacific region, including Australia.
For more information about SAP ERP, visit: http://www.sap.com/erp
For more information about SAP solutions for GRC, visit:
http://www.sap.com/grc
SAP at CeBIT 2007
Main booth: hall 4, stand D12
Booth in the Public Sector Parc: hall 9, stand E37
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About ABB
ABB (http://www.abb.com/) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 108,000 people.
About SAP
SAP is the world's leading provider of business software*. Today, more than 38,000 customers in more than 120 countries run SAP(R) applications -- from distinct solutions addressing the needs of small businesses and midsize companies to suite offerings for global organizations. Powered by the SAP NetWeaver(R) platform to drive innovation and enable business change, SAP software helps enterprises of all sizes around the world improve customer relationships, enhance partner collaboration and create efficiencies across their supply chains and business operations. SAP solution portfolios support the unique business processes of more than 25 industries, including high tech, retail, financial services, healthcare and the public sector. With subsidiaries in more than 50 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE under the symbol "SAP". (Additional information at http://www.sap.com/)
(*) SAP defines business software as comprising enterprise resource planning and related applications such as supply chain management, customer relationship management, product life-cycle management and supplier relationship management.
For customers interested in learning more about SAP products:
Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24
United States Only: 1 (800) 872-1SAP (1-800-872-1727)
Source: SAP AG
Web site: http://www.sap.com/
http://www.abb.com/
