SAP offers affordable for parent companies and subsidiaries

Expanding its ability to provide integration across businesses of all sizes, SAP AG recently announced a next-generation SAP NetWeaver subsidiary connectivity solution. This was done to allow new levels of visibility, efficiency and standardisation between companies running mySAP Business Suite solutions and their smaller operating locations running SAP Business One.

Harnessing the power of the SAP NetWeaver platform, the subsidiary solution is being introduced as a growing number of parent companies and headquarters among SAP's over 25,000 customers select SAP Business One, to unify their operations across the globe.

A globally consistent business management solution, designed to be affordable for smaller organisations, SAP Business One provides out-of-the-box, localised versions for more than 40 countries worldwide. When deployed as part of the SAP NetWeaver solution for subsidiaries, it allows larger companies running mySAP Business Suite solutions to easily deploy a common platform to standardise operations across multiple global locations.

Since the solution requires minimal training for users, is implemented in a matter of weeks and can be maintained with minimal IT resources at the subsidiary, it promises: a fast return on investment, the ability to derive additional value from SAP deployments and a lower total cost of IT ownership across the entire business landscape.

"Adopting a common platform across the business ecosystem can have a substantial impact on companies' ability to respond quickly to customer demand and market changes, increase operating efficiency and meet more stringent reporting requirements," Bob Anderson Gartner, Inc. Research vice president said. "Even many comparatively well-run businesses have yet to achieve real-time visibility and control with their subsidiaries and remote operating facilities, relying instead on periodic updates on limited spreadsheet applications," he added.

The solution for subsidiaries delivers on SAP's ability to serve companies of all sizes by leveraging SAP NetWeaver to enable enhanced and seamless integration between SAP Business One and mySAP Business Suite. With this solution, companies will be able to implement enterprisewide business management solutions and global templates to unify the entire business ecosystem of headquarters, operating divisions, subsidiaries, trading partners, customers and suppliers.

Connecting through components and technology of SAP NetWeaver, the solution's preconfigured content will place business-critical information in contexts that are instantly understandable by all SAP solutions. With configuration support to lead users through rapid implementation, the solution will also include design-time tools that enable developers to create custom integration content and templates.

The solution will enable tight integration and consistency of master data between subsidiaries and headquarters locations and real-time access to critical data, providing companies with support for strategic decisions and a bottom-line view of their financial situation at the start of each day. By automating processes, companies eliminate the need to manually replicate data, reducing the risk of human error and increasing both data quality and the efficiency of staff members. Because the solution is easy and affordable to deploy, it will allow companies to effectively expand into new locations, including remote, lower-cost markets, and to rapidly integrate new operations from merger and acquisition activity.

Integration Provides Competitive Edge Numerous SAP customers worldwide are already realising additional return on their investment in mySAP Business Suite solutions through the affordable deployment of SAP Business One across their operating locations.

Companies that have selected SAP Business One for integration with their operating locations and affiliates include Asia Development Enterprise; Behr GmbH & Co. KG; BEUMER Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG; Carl Zeiss AG; China Assembly Technology Holdings, Ltd; Entegris, Inc.; Erhardt and Leimer GmbH; GHL Systems; GS-Hydro Piping Systems Ltd.; Hameln pharmaceuticals gmbh; Hengstler, GmbH; KSB Aktiengesellschaft; Lappkabel Co., Ltd.; MHM Holding GmbH; OSRAM Light Consulting GmbH; Respironics; Rosenthal USA Ltd.; Taiko Marketing Sdn. Bhd.; Testo AG; Umicore nv; Weidmüller Interface GmbH & Co. KG; and Xiamen Aurise Electronics Co., Ltd.

"Deploying SAP Business One provides us with a global operating platform with which we can seamlessly integrate third-party-processes, like customer orders, and therefore respond faster to our customers' demands," Hans-Peter Kreft, VEKA IT-Applications manager, said. Based in Sendenhorst, Germany, VEKA is a leading international system provider and manufacturer of synthetic profiles for windows, doors, shutters and sheet systems that runs SAP Business One at its smaller worldwide sales subsidiaries. This homogenous system landscape has allowed VEKA to establish a worldwide reporting system, making information up-to-date and accessible at any time.

By also leveraging SAP NetWeaver, VEKA is not only integrating all internal data on customers, financials, order situations and products, but also third-party information. With the solution, VEKA customers that deploy SAP Business One can now automatically transfer their orders to the VEKA systems and immediately receive a confirmation. "The ability to manage standardised and up-to-date information from one single location and exchange it with our worldwide sales subsidiaries and production plants allows us to increase efficiency of corporate planning while decreasing costs," Kreft added.

"SAP is already well known for eliminating walls and increasing collaboration across our customers' larger operating sites, and we are now extending the benefits of integration to locations which were once too small for traditional SAP applications," Gadi Shamia, SAP Business One vice president of solution management, said. "The subsidiary solution creates a powerful and unified business management platform that opens up new avenues to visibility, efficiency and growth for our customers," he added.

For more information on SAP Business One, contact enterpriseSAP on info@enterprisesap.com or visit www.enterprisesap.com