SAP Expands Offerings for Singapore Small and Midsize Businesses with Twelve Industry Solutions

Four New Local Partners to Offer Solutions that Start at SGD 199K and Are Implementable Within 100 to 150 Days

SINGAPORE – May 7, 2003 – SAP Singapore today announced twelve industry offerings for local small and midsize businesses (SMBs), made available through new relationships with four Singapore channel partners, as well as SAP's Technology Partners. Starting at SGD 199K for a complete business solution and implementable within 100 to 150 days, the offerings combine the local industry knowledge of the channel partners with SAP’s industry best practices and the expertise of SAP's Technology Partners, including HP, IBM, and Microsoft.

SAP is delivering on its go-to-market strategy for the SMB market by partnering with players who share SAP's understanding of the SMB market. The local channel partners, which become part of SAP's vertical solutions reseller (VSR) partner network, will be developing industry-specific SAP Solutions for Small and Midsize Businesses in Singapore. These partners include Encore Application Services, Genovate Solutions, ISS Consulting, and Unisoft Infotech. Together with SAP's Technology Partners, SAP will invest up to US$1 million in each SMB channel partner in the first two years to support, develop, and market customized SAP solutions and programs for the Singapore SMB market. The partners will be leveraging this investment to provide customers in Singapore with rapid implementation of business software solutions in a number of vertical industries including high-tech, chemicals, consumer products and retail, and heavy equipment and machinery. Each of the partners will also participate in extensive SAP training programs and sign quality of service agreements to guarantee that customers receive the same standard of service set by SAP.

"SAP and our partners believe that affordable solutions necessitate our SMB channel partners being industry experts," said Mr. Chan Wai Leong, managing director, SAP Singapore. "Only then can you define the solution that meets the three top business needs of a company in that industry. SMBs want real and practical solutions that can start working for them quickly to solve their business needs, while meeting their budget and cash flow requirements."

The new local SAP channel partners develop solutions for a diverse range of industries including high-tech, chemicals, consumer products and retail, and heavy equipment and machinery.

• Encore Application Services offers software solutions focused on the needs of the technology industry. Their solutions enable the companies in the high-tech industry supply chain to monitor and manage company manufacturing, logistics, and financials processes.
• Genovate Solutions provides solutions to track the complete lifecycle of strategic and physical assets including planning, deployment, maintenance and retirement for SMBs specializing in the manufacture of fabricated metal products, machinery and equipment, renting of machinery and equipment, construction, and supporting and auxiliary transport services.
• ISS Consulting delivers integrated technology solutions such as production planning, financial controlling and monitoring of logistic business processes to SMBs in the chemicals sector.
• Unisoft Infotech Asia Pacific offers financial, supply chain and CRM technology solutions for SMBs in the food and beverage, apparel and fashion, packaged goods, consumer durable, and retail industries.

"The partnership works. Within three months of establishing our SMB partnership with SAP, we have found our first two customers," said Anton Ravindran, CEO and co-founder, Genovate Solutions. "SAP is now discussing taking our solutions to Malaysia and India, where they see a niche that we can quickly fulfill."

"Through our innovative SAP Solutions for Small and Midsize Businesses, we offer customers highly scalable out-of-the-box solutions to drive efficiency and profitability in this increasingly competitive business climate," said Mr. Chan. "With our steadfast commitment to the needs of this market, we plan to involve even more vertical industry partners moving forward, such as the storage/transportation and services industries, to expand these benefits to additional Singapore SMBs."

SAP also announced its participation in the Infocomm Local Industry Upgrading Programme (iLIUP). A program from the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), iLIUP helps to promote strategic, mutually beneficial partnerships between multinational corporations (MNCs) and local enterprises with the aim of enhancing technology capabilities, and developing products. This is achieved through the exchange of technology know-how, industry best practices, and marketing expertise that help bring products not just to the local markets but overseas as well.

In joining iLIUP, SAP is demonstrating its commitment to further the capabilities of local infocomm companies. For a start, SAP has already partnered with local companies such as Encore Application Services, Genovate Solutions, and Unisoft Infotech.

"By joining iLIUP, SAP is showing its commitment to Singapore SMBs by transferring their technology know-how, industry best practices, and marketing expertise to our local infocomm partners to enhance their capabilities to compete in the global market. We are confident that SAP's partnership with the local industry will spearhead new levels of software innovation to meet the diverse needs of Singapore SMBs," said Ms. Seah Lye Khim, deputy director, Software & Services Industry Development Division, IDA.