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SAP Opens Product Data Management Support Center To Address Demand of Customers in Manufacturing Industry Sectors

ATLANTA - April 20, 1999 - Today at the annual CIMdata PDM Conference '99, SAP America, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of SAP AG (NYSE ADR: SAP), which is the world's leading provider of enterprise software solutions, announced the formation of its Product Data Management (PDM) Support Center. Building on early success for SAP Product Data Management (SAP PDM) software in Europe, the PDM Support Center was created to meet the growing demand from customers in the Americas for help managing product-related data and processes. The dedicated team understands the challenges and benefits associated with product data management, particularly product development and integration in the logistics process chain. The SAP PDM Support Center leverages comprehensive SAP PDM functionality to help customers find optimum solutions for their specific requirements.

SAP PDM functionality directly addresses manufacturing customers' needs for help managing product-related data and associated processes required to design, manufacture, support and maintain products across the enterprise and throughout the entire product life cycle. SAP PDM functionality not only integrates design and engineering into the entire process, but is being expanded to reach many individuals within a company, including manufacturing personnel, administrators, sales managers, purchasing agents, estimators and finance managers. This helps complete the supply chain loop from the point of design to the point of consumption. In addition, the functionality is seamlessly integrated within the SAP R/3 solution, improving communication and cooperation between diverse corporate groups and increasing the overall effectiveness and success of the entire organization.

"Through commitment to SAP PDM functionality, SAP provides manufacturing industries with an integrated informational bridge to help unite engineering and engineering-reliant operations," said Ed Lange, senior vice president and general manager for the Discrete Manufacturing Sector at SAP America, Inc. "SAP is taking the lead to offer PDM as part of a total integrated customer solution."

Product Data Management Key to Enterprise Strategy
StorageTechnology Corp. in Louisville, Colo., a preeminent provider of network computing storage, went live with SAP R/3 on March 1, 1999. The company chose the SAP solution and the SAP PDM functionality to eliminate more than 30 legacy systems, decrease its manual data entry, reduce engineering change cycle time and improve the efficiency of its worldwide operations. StorageTek has been challenged by its product data manageemt processes for more than 10 years, but now projects a 50 percent reduction in cycle times through implementing SAP PDM. StorageTek expects that SAP PDM will help save time and money by enabling the company to generate fewer hard copies of documents, ship its products to market sooner with a decrease in scrap and rework costs, and receive its sales revenue more promptly. The SAP PDM Support Center worked closely with StorageTek in implementing SAP PDM.

The integrated SAP PDM functionality comprises the following areas:

• SAP PDM core functions: document management, engineering change management, workflow for engineering processes, parts (material master) management, product structure management (bill of materials), classification, variant configuration, CAD interface, routing and tooling
• Integration within SAP logistics offerings: production planning (PP), project system (PS), plant maintenance (PM), service management (SM), sales and distribution (SD), quality management (QM)
• Integration with non-SAP applications: CAD systems (mechanical CAD and electrical CAD), viewer/redlining, scan management, archiving (ArchiveLink), plot management, component and supplier management (CSM), calculation programs

During CIMdata PDM Conference '99, SAP will be demonstrating its SAP PDM functionality at Booths 57 and 58. PDM tutorials, group discussions with developers and PDM Support Center specialists, and a customer presentation given by StorageTek, "PDM in an Enterprisewide ERP Solution," will also be highlighted.

SAP PDM Support Center
In January 1999, the dedicated SAP PDM Support Center began offering customers in the United States, Canada and Latin America a high level of support and services through a virtual network of SAP experts. The center focuses on the following:

• Consulting, by acting as complementary support for industry consulting groups with PDM-specific expertise.
• Training, by supporting the SAP training department in developing and holding courses on SAP PDM.
• Partner support, by assisting the SAP partner ecosystem to build SAP PDM expertise under the TeamSAP initiative.

Customers can reach the SAP PDM Support Center by contacting their regional SAP sales representative, solution engineer or global support manager. More information can also be found at http://www.sap.com/pdm.

SAP International Contact
Natalie Sharif
SAP AG
69190 Walldorf
Fax ++49 (6227) 7-46331
e-mail: www.press@sap-ag.de

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