Al Futtaim, Emirates Steel, and ACC (Arabian Construction Co.) Awarded Gold in SAP MENA Quality Awards

Achievement Recognizes Companies' Successful Implementations;
MENA Winners Qualify for EMEA Finals Hosted at SAPPHIRE NOW

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- May 16, 2010 -- Al Futtaim, Emirates Steel, and ACC (Arabian Construction Co.) have been announced as the gold winners in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) esteemed SAP Quality Awards program, recognizing their achievements in successful software implementation.

The SAP Quality Awards celebrate customers that use SAP Quality Principles to effectively manage software implementations marked by multifaceted technical and business process requirements, excel in execution and deliver significant benefits, and achieve fast, low-cost implementations to accommodate today's demands for rapid realization of return on investment.

"Successful implementations require focus, direction, and clear quality standards, and completion of this task deserves recognition. Through the SAP Quality Awards we are taking action to work closer with our customers and partners to share knowledge and best practices, and ensure the highest return on SAP software implementations across the MENA region," said Sergio Maccotta, Managing Director, SAP MENA.

Al Futtaim Private Ltd. LLC, has been named as Gold Winner in the Large Enterprise (LE) category. The project focused on the implementation of SAP Human Capital Management (HCM), to replace costly legacy systems and introduce self-service capabilities for employees and managers across the Al-Futtaim Group in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The group includes more than 50 companies spread over six divisions of Al-Futtaim, including Electronics, Engineering & Technologies (EET), Retail, Automotive, Insurance, Real Estate, and General Services, with the implementation resulting in a centralized Human Resources (HR) Shared Services model to support all divisions.

Implementation - accelerated roll-out from the planned 2.5 years to 10 months - resulted in successfully modernizing Al Futtaim's HR strategy, enabling the company to achieve goals, such as to provide better, faster service through online transactions, to radically alter the HR Service Delivery Model from a de-centralized to a full shared service, and flatten delegations of authority. Al Futtaim recognizes the cost effectiveness of the HCM solution, as the streamlined function reduces operating costs by more than 20 percent.

In the competitive LE Category, Emirates Trading Agency ASCON & Star Group from the UAE was awarded silver, and bronze went to Abudawood Group (IATCO) from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), achieving acclaim for their excellence.

Emirates Steel, the largest integrated steel plant in the UAE, was awarded gold in the Small and Midsize Enterprise (SME) category following the company's successful SAP ECC (Enterprise Resource Planning Central Component) go-live in January 2009 - both on time and on budget - across its five plants in Abu Dhabi.

The business objectives for Emirates Steel were the enterprise-wide implementation of business processes, harmonized processes across multiple plants, and the adoption of SAP best practices. Key criteria for success included; a commitment from Senior Management, a focus on quality, the effective use of positive external audit review factors to improve implementation, and strengthened business support to ensure all departments were mobilized to support the project.

Emirates Steel, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Basic Industries Corporation (ADBIC), is wholly-owned by General Holding Corporation, an Abu Dhabi Government-owned company. Strategically located in the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi (ICAD), just 35 kilometers away from the heart of the city, Emirates Steel is the only integrated steel plant in the UAE, utilizing the latest rolling mill technology to produce reinforcing bar and wire rod.

Emirates Steel currently has an output capacity of 2 million tons, with capacity expected to reach 3 million tons in 2011 through its AED 9 billion expansion plan. The many strategic alliances that the company is establishing with leading technology providers, coupled with its state-of-the-art facilities, will allow Emirates Steel to maintain its position at the forefront of the industrial sector.

In the SME category Mezzan Holding Company from Kuwait was awarded silver and Nahla Corp and Al-Bunnia, from Jordan, was awarded bronze with both companies receiving notable commendations for their achievements.

The gold winner of the New Business Applications Category was ACC (Arabian Construction Co.) from Lebanon - a leader in commercial construction, civil engineering, MEP contracting, and property development and maintenance.

Over the past decade, internationalization and diversification highlighted the company's need for end-to-end billing functions, a unified view of subcontractor performance, and tighter forecasting and asset management. ACC responded by devising a major application integration project called ACCEPT (ACC Enterprise Planning Tool), which kicked off at four offices and 40 project sites.

ACC's business goals were to integrate financial processes, accounting, materials procurement, asset management, subcontractor and client management, and performance reporting, with the intent of reinforcing its position as a major regional contractor, to attract and retain qualified staff and managers, and take better control of more and more complex construction projects by modernizing its operations. In addition, interconnecting existing applications ensured visibility within projects, across project portfolios, and among widely dispersed sites.

The silver winner in the New Business Applications category was National Unified Procurement Medical Supplies Company (NUPCO) from KSA, and the bronze winner was Consolidated Can Manufacturing Company Ltd. (CCMC) also from the Kingdom, illustrating strong leadership in the field from companies in KSA.

Mahindra Satyam, a leading IT Business Consulting services company was the prime implementation partner responsible for two of the gold award winners; Emirates Steel and ACC, SAP Consulting supported the Al Futtaim implementation.

As gold winners on the SAP MENA level the nominations from Al Futtaim, Emirates Steel, and ACC automatically proceeded to the SAP Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) Quality Awards where the entries have been shortlisted and successfully gone through to the finals at SAPPHIRE NOW in Frankfurt, Germany 17 - 19 May.

-Ends-

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