CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
12 October 2004
Implementation Investments
SAP Reports Strong SAP® xAppsT Adoption
Two years after first detailing its vision for SAP® xAppsT packaged composite applications, SAP AG announced significant momentum in the delivery and adoption of these applications that drive innovation and compliance across the enterprise. More than 150 companies worldwide across diverse industries, including E.ON Benelux in the utilities industry, Gen-Probe in the biotechnology sector, and SerCon in the high tech industry, are deploying SAP xApps to achieve new business efficiencies. The announcement was made at SAP TechEd® '04, behind held at the International Congress Centre in Munich, Germany, October 12-14.
SAP xApps are packaged applications that "snap onto" a company's existing software applications to extend specific business processes. SAP xApps leverage the SAP NetWeaverT technology platform and Web services to deliver next-generation services-oriented business applications. SAP NetWeaver provides the capability to create SAP xApps in a model-driven fashion, allowing companies the flexibility necessary to respond quickly and profitably to business change while offering developers an innovative way to create composite applications without having to write code.
SAP xAppT Emissions Management (SAP xEM) was introduced in June 2004 in response to growing customer demand for new cross-functional business processes that help align business with the fulfillment of required environmental regulations worldwide. With SAP xEM, energy-consuming and carbon dioxide-producing businesses, including E.ON Benelux, are empowered to maintain compliance status, monitor and control plant emissions, track performance benchmarks and communicate with key stakeholders.
E.ON Benelux, one of the main suppliers of electricity and heat to major customers and distributors in the Netherlands, is leveraging SAP xEM to automate the necessary processes to ensure environmental regulations compliance. Faced with the recent challenge of conforming to the European Union Emission Trading Scheme (ETS), which has imposed a set of new legal, economical and organizational requirements for electric utilities greenhouse gas emissions, E.ON Benelux realized the need for a powerful emissions data management system to help them monitor, measure, document and control emissions output. E.ON Benelux chose SAP xEM to gain visibility into reliable emissions data to quickly respond to changes in operational and trading requirements, ensuring optimal efficiency and risk aversion.
"We chose SAP xEM since it provides all of the critical capabilities to automatically track and manage emissions-related processes in one easy-to-implement packaged application that leverages our existing IT environment," said Herman Poortinga, CIO, E.ON Benelux. "We expect SAP xEM will help us drive down the cost of compliance over the long term."
Gen-Probe, a global leader in the development, manufacture and marketing of rapid, accurate and cost-effective nucleic acid testing (NAT) products used for the clinical diagnosis of human diseases and for screening donated human blood, has committed to deploying SAP xAppT Resource and Portfolio Management (SAP xRPM) in its project management office to help lead efforts that maximize the value of its portfolio of projects across the enterprise.
Headquartered in San Diego, California, Gen-Probe will leverage SAP xRPM to gain broader visibility across its project portfolio, reducing costly overhead associated with analyzing active and proposed projects and more effectively prioritizing initiatives and supporting resources to increase project success rates. As Gen-Probe faces the challenges of operating in a heavily regulated industry, SAP xRPM will also help the company enforce policy set by corporate management to support effective governance.
Based in Ehningen, Germany, with 21 locations throughout Germany, SerCon is an integration and services provider with expertise in ERP consulting, knowledge management, document management and e-business solutions. SerCon, a 100-percent IBM subsidiary with a team of more than 1,000 consultants, is part of IBM Business Consulting Services. Challenged with managing disparate systems for program planning across internal departments and limited visibility into the status of projects and programs, SerCon is deploying SAP xRPM to ensure a consistent approach to tracking and reporting enterprise programs and clients' projects processed in its ERP software from SAP. Using SAP xRPM to centralize planning processes, SerCon will be able to more effectively execute business strategies and clients' projects, leveraging up-to-date information and ad hoc reporting on project status and program results.
With four key SAP xApps currently shipping-including SAP xApp Resource and Portfolio Management, which supports project portfolio management; SAP xApp Emissions Management, which supports environmental emissions compliance; SAP xApp Product Definition (SAP xPD), which helps companies translate ideas into successful products; and SAP Global Trade Systems (SAP GTS), which helps companies manage the complexities and risks of today's global trade-SAP plans to launch additional SAP xApps by end of 2004.
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