CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive

7 November 2008

Implementation Investments

SAP Automotive Software Solution Helps Drive Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Team to Formula One Victory

SAP AG announced that its SAP® Business All-in-One for Automotive solution provided critical data to the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team as Lewis Hamilton clenched his victory in Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix. The team used it.automotive, a qualified SAP Business All-in-One solution from itelligence, an SAP business partner. During the 18 race season, the technology maintained information on the V8 engines of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 2008 cars, enabling the team to be fully alert to the performance of the cars' engines. The win makes Hamilton Formula One's youngest champion to date.

Cutting-edge computer technology is playing an ever more crucial role in the world of car racing, as the slightest change can result in dramatic performance effects. SAP Business All-in-One for Automotive retrieves exact information in real time, anywhere in the world, for more than 3,000 engine components of each of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes cars to help ensure the team's optimum performance on race day.

  In addition, the solution:

  -- Provided a single access source for data on all engine components and their individual status, which allows the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team to constantly review and develop components of the engine.

  -- Reduced the need for time-consuming diagnostic checks, thereby lowering costs for the team as it focused internal resources on technical improvements.

  -- Improved communication and collaboration between user groups.

  -- Enabled greater stock management, resulting in less waste.

As a long-time partner of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, SAP is proud to provide its advanced software as an integral part of the team cars and their performance. In addition to contributing to the Formula One Championship win this past weekend, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes uses SAP solutions to improve collaboration among its project groups and integrate all engine design, development and production data, as well as the complete logistic supply chain and documentation, in a single, enterprise-wide system (please see October 4, 2004 press release titled,  “Team McLaren Mercedes Accelerates Formula One Operations With SAP”).

For more information on SAP's comprehensive set of solutions designed for automotive manufacturers, suppliers, and sales and service organizations worldwide, please visit http://www.sap.com/industries/automotive/midsize/index.epx.

See also the SAP TV video about the SAP solution used by the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Team at http://www.sap-tv.com/?a=3263&l=1.

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