SAP to ride B&R to popularize new tech

An exhibitor sits in a booth and demonstrates a Virtual Reality device in the SAP SE pavilion at the CeBIT 2017 tech fair in Hannover in March. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

German software company SAP SE will step up efforts to tap into opportunities brought by the Belt and Road Initiative, which it believes will motivate groups to adopt new technologies and business models.

Mark Gibbs, president of SAP in China, said in an interview with China Daily that the Belt and Road initiative enabled a "beautiful marriage" between innovative technology and a well-thought drive to increase business in many economies.

"It will allow companies to re-imagine their business models and accelerate steps toward a digital transformation," he said.

SAP supplies software for most of the world's top 500 companies to run factories, supply chains and financial accounts. It is planning to work with key Chinese central government bodies related to the Belt and Road Initiative.

The president said SAP is looking to work with the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Commerce and China's top universities to create think tanks, and host sessions for idea exchanges and best practice sharing, with the goal of helping Chinese businesses.

The company's products and services are available in more than 180 countries and regions, most of which are related to the Belt and Road Initiative.

"SAP is the largest benchmarking company in the world," Gibbs said.

"We can see which are the most efficient or inefficient industries and why. We want to share the experience and digital solutions with Chinese companies. "

The president said SAP is in a good position to help promote infrastructure connectivity, unimpeded trade and financial integration, which are among the top priorities of the Belt and Road Initiative.

"We are talking with a number of ports in China. Without increasing capital expenditure, we can help drive their efficiency up by 30 percent by leveraging SAP's digital products," Gibbs said.

As of December, SAP has around 12,000 business customers in China. About 75 percent of them are small and medium-sized groups, while more than 50 percent of China's leading State-owned firms also use its services.

The customer list includes ChemChina, China's biggest chemical group, Shenhua Group, a leading State-owned energy company and COFCO, the leading supplier of agriculture-products－all of which are playing an active part in the Belt and Road Initiative.

It partnered China Telecom, the country's third largest telecoms operator by subscribers, and Alibaba Cloud, to offer localized cloud services and solutions.

"We also aim to help small and medium-sized companies become integrated into the global value chain, by offering them an affordable access to cutting-edge cloud technology," he said.