 |
||
|
|
||
| |||||||||||
A German software giant After starting as a small business software company in 1972, the Germany-based SAP (Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing) grew by astronomical proportions through the early '90's. Fueled by a unique enterprise application system, R/3, it has become the fourth-largest company in all of Germany and the world's largest supplier of enterprise resource planning software. It is also the only non-American entry on the list of the world's five largest software producers at fourth place. R/3 R/3 may sound like a character from Star Wars, but if anything, it is even more sophisticated and expensive to produce. The software integrates the computing needs of all the operations of a business, from manufacturing schedules to shipping to accounting, dramatically increasing efficiency and reducing long term costs. With optimal performance, the R/3 led SAP to a leading position in the software industry in the early '90's. As evidence, the company gobbled up a staggering one-third of the $10 billion market, including half of the world's top 500 corporations. The system became an industry standard, listing Microsoft among its prestigious clientele. Emphasis on research and development Not surprisingly, sales grew steadily for much of SAP's history. For example, the company increased its revenue by 50 percent to top $5 billion in 1998. Companies looking to upgrade their systems for Y2K compliance helped fuel revenue. This enabled the company to reinvest in order to explore new areas. At one time, SAP prided itself on being #1 in research and development in the industry. Traditionally, the company has been known for producing all of its own software in-house, mainly at its headquarters in Germany. Internet-friendly product offerings It has not been until recently that SAP sales and status have declined. Like everyone else in the industry, SAP has been scrambling to adapt its products to the Internet. Unfortunately, SAP seems to have been slower than many of its main competitors. In May 1999, the company finally unveiled an Internet strategy with its new portal site, mySAP.com, which is intended to provide one-stop shopping for services ranging from personalized news and travel services to scheduling corporate meetings to communicating with suppliers. SAP partnered with competitor Sun to build MySAP.com on Sun's technical infrastructure. Intentions are that the new software will be able to dramatically change the utility of the R/3, becoming the software of choice in the new millenium, like the R/3 was in the early '90's. However, the company has been plagued with image problems; consumers are confused about what MySAP.com has to offer and what SAP's strategy is. Reconstructing SAP, ASAP Waning sales, stiff competition, and troubled U.S. operations have prompted SAP to do some major restructuring. The famous development division is undergoing a major overhaul, linking development to marketing strategies and attacking e-Business markets. Breaking from its in-house development tradition and its tendency to develop without the aid of alliances and acquisitions, SAP has partnered with such competitors as Sun, Commerce One, and Nortel to boost sales of MySAP.com software. Adding to the already troubled times in early 2000, Kevin McKay, the CEO of SAP America, resigned. And while rumors ran rapant that American workers were disgruntled and feeling underappreciated, SAP filled the CEO position with Wolfgang Kemna, former head of SAP's German subsidiary. Kemna optimistically plans to restore confidence in SAP's America staff, as well as jump-start sales. The opening of the new SAP subsidiary, SAPMarkets, in Silicon Valley should help with the goal to develop globally interconnected Business-to-Business marketplaces online. SAP also hopes that the subsidiary will shrink the cultural divide between the development department in Germany and the Internet culture in California. Still an industry leader Despite its recent difficulties, SAP remains a leader in the business software industry. While SAP may not be an Internet leader, they will always be a major presence because they have the back offices of Fortune 500 companies. SAP, of course, does not plan to stand behind competitors in the Internet world for long. In June 2000, the company announced its biggest software deal ever with Nestle to provide the food giant with its mySAP.com e-business services by offering applications for use in areas including marketing, supply-chain management, customer relationship management and financial and cost management. In the same month SAP rolled out its plans for acquiring a $250 million stake in Commerce One in a deal to combine the two companies' services to clients. As the company continues to remodel and reconstruct, SAP predicts that sales will be slow through 2002.
Recent success has bred an intensely competitive hiring practice. According to an employee from SAP's Canada office, the human resources department receives "about 750 resumes a day, and this year they're only planning on hiring about 200 people." The bandwagon is cruising along, but seating is limited, and getting an interview can be exceedingly difficult. Proficiency with SAP software is a big advantage, even when applying for positions not directly requiring its use. SAP "really needs people to have been in the business world for awhile," so recruiting seems to happen "from just about anywhere except a college campus." The lucky few are subjected to interviews that are described as extensive and often numerous, but rarely very stressful. "The interviewing is very intense," one employee remembers. SAP Canada "has a four interview minimum. Further difficulty in landing an offer comes about as a result of the very low turnover rate. Insiders advise, "Don't waste time talking about experience that is not directly related to what you want to do at SAP." New hires are few and far between relative to the number of applicants, but those who do make the grade are treated to an environment that fosters tremendous loyalty. Most new employees, unless very familiar with SAP's software applications, are put through an eight to 10 week training process covering most aspects of the particular division, including non-technical skills. For more information on the SAP interviewing process, try www.softwarejobs.com/sap.html, www.sapfaq.com, or www.sapfans.com for a free information on SAP. For application information, SAP can be contacted at, staffing.america@sap-ag.de, faxed at 1-888-672-6726 or (1-781-672-6726 from outside the U.S.). Job openings are also listed at www.sap.com/jobs, with email contact links and online applications.
SAP employees rave about their work environment. The atmosphere is relaxed, from the loose, "business casual dress code" to the "flexible schedule." Despite flexibility, "you can expect a minimum of 50 hours per week and sometimes up to 70." Hours will depend on department, and in most cases, "it all evens out." As far as compensation is concerned, one employee reflects an almost universal sentiment by saying, "the pay is great, the benefits are well above average, and the incentives are terrific!" "The come as based on your stock options." Ample vacation time is provided, as well as "the best health insurance I have ever seen and even a pension plan." Additional perks include many free meals for all and a company car for third-year workers from the Germany office. "Without a doubt it is the finest company in terms of work culture," says one employee. But one employee warns, "the mode seems to be we hire people, give them a year and then fire them if they aren't making progress." It seems that SAP is "definitely not shy about letting people go." But while you're there, SAP is very supportive because "the corporate culture is very focused on letting you do your job" and has a very "person-centric" culture. The environment "allows you to express yourself freely, ask for assistance as needed, and keep up to date on new product features and company news." "SAP is a German company, hence there are elements of German influence in many levels of the organization," says on insider. However, xenophobia isn't one of them. Equality of opportunity is not an issue; SAP "has a very diverse culture." "There are at least as many women as men in management and many, many minorities are part of the team." "Everyone is treated with equality and with due respect" says one employee. So it seems the only problem is getting a foot in the door. Once that is accomplished, "the experience is excellent and it carries a well-recognized brand name." And employees agree that coming to SAP is "a good choice to make" because SAP believes in "performance and spirited work" above all else.
Human Resources SAP Staffing, Dept. WWW05981 950 Winter Street, Suite 3800 Waltham MA 02154 (888) 672-6726
R/3;MySAP.com
Computer Associates;Informix;J. D. Edwards;Oracle;PeopleSoft;Platinum Software;System Software Associates;Tivoli More Company Profiles For more career information, go to Vault.com ©2000, Vault.com Inc
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
