AG announced its preliminary financial results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2012.

Business Highlights In The Fourth Quarter And Full Year 2012

SAP delivered record revenues in 2012. Non-IFRS total revenue grew 14% year-on-year and exceeded €16bn. Non-IFRS software and software-related service revenue grew 17% year-on-year to €13.2bn. Non-IFRS software and cloud subscriptions revenue grew 21% year-on-year to €5bn.

SAP delivered strong overall growth in the fourth quarter. The company achieved strong software revenue performance in the APJ region. The EMEA region delivered impressive results in light of the continued uncertain market environment and the Americas region had a solid software revenue performance considering a tough year-over-year comparison. SAP delivered exceptional growth in its key innovation areas SAP HANA, Mobile and Cloud: SAP HANA had an outstanding quarter reaching nearly €200m in software revenue in the fourth quarter and achieving almost €400m for the full year. SAP’s mobile business contributed more than €220m to software revenue achieving its full year revenue target.

SAP’s strong cloud momentum continued in the fourth quarter: Derived from the total revenue of SAP’s two cloud segments (Cloud Applications and Ariba) the annual cloud revenue run rate is approaching €850m. For the SAP cloud applications segment alone 12 month new and upsell subscription billings increased nineteenfold in the fourth quarter. Even when including SuccessFactors in SAP’s 2011 numbers the growth is triple digit at 102%3. For SuccessFactors on a stand-alone basis, 12 month new and upsell subscription billings grew 95%.

“In 2012, SAP empowered best-run businesses to meet real-time consumer demands. We invested in our flagship innovation SAP HANA and strengthened the industry’s best portfolio in the cloud. We delivered industry-specific solutions, accessible anywhere on the mobile device,” said SAP Co-CEOs Bill McDermott and Jim Hagemann Snabe. “Our momentum has never been stronger. We are very well positioned to achieve our 2015 goals.”

“We achieved €5bn in full year non-IFRS software and cloud subscription revenue, an increase of 21%. We saw very strong revenue contribution from our key innovations SAP HANA and Cloud. We are confident we will continue our double-digit growth momentum in 2013 and further improve our profitability,” said SAP CFO Werner Brandt.

RAK Ceramics, the world’s largest manufacturer of ceramic and porcelain tiles, is set to markedly improve process efficiency and drive sustainable business growth with the support of cutting-edge SAP software solutions.

The two-phase project will see SAP implement a comprehensive suite of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tools across the Ras Al Khaimah-based company’s 12 United Arab Emirate Factories, before rolling it out to five international locations.

The high-profile collaboration follows a recent meeting between His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and the Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, and Bill McDermott, SAP Co-CEO and Executive Board Member, where the discussion centered on how SAP could help drive the emirate’s long-term growth and prosperity.

“Teaming up with SAP feeds into our unceasing mission of continually surpassing the expectations of our customers, dealers and partners,” said Khaled Abdulla Yousef, Board Member, RAK Ceramics.

“In an era of global competitiveness and borderless economies, the only organizations that will thrive are those that remain truly receptive to innovation in its many and varied forms. Embracing cutting-edge IT solutions from SAP is a major step in making RAK Ceramics run better, improving end-to-end process integration and harmonization, and driving sustainable business growth.”

The deal will see RAK Ceramics migrate away from an Oracle-based platform in order to bolster its ability to improve customer satisfaction, reduce costs for production, procurement and acquisition, improve working capital management and enhance asset utilization.

“RAK Ceramics is the number one company of its kind in the world and a glittering jewel in the Middle Eastern manufacturing sector,” said Qais Gharaibeh, UAE Managing Director, SAP MENA.

“The company’s inspiring pursuit of excellence and innovation makes it a vital player in the UAE’s economic landscape and SAP is proud to help maximise value and improve its efficiency wherever possible.”

Dinesh Mohan, General Manager-SAP Projects, RAK Ceramics, added:”SAP will give RAK Ceramics the big picture it needs to improve transparency, efficiency, productivity and business integration as we strive to consolidate our leadership position and redefine both the scope of our company and the possibilities of our industry. The management team, led by the Deputy CEO, Mr. Abdullah Massad, has been actively pursuing the introduction of a world-class ERP solution for some time. Under the guidance of Mr. Khaled Abdulla Yousef, we have evaluated and received the board’s approval. We are excited and ready to start the project.”

Established in 1991 by H.H. Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, the ruler of Ras Al Khaimah and CEO Dr. Khater Massaad, RAK Ceramics is a USD 1 billion global conglomerate that supplies to over 160 countries across five continents. His Highness Sheikh Mohamad Bin Saud Al Qasimi, Crown Prince of Ras Al Khaimah heads the company as Chairman.

The company employs more than 8,500 employees in UAE and over 15,000 employees through its various manufacturing facilities and distributions worldwide. Currently, state-of-the-art Ras Al Khaimah plants produce 227,000 sq.m of tiles and 8,500 pieces of bathware per day. Global production exceeds 360,000 sq.m of tiles and 12,000 pieces of bathware per day.

RAK Ceramics stands out for its ability to innovate. It is the first company in the world to launch Luminous, Golden and Silver Glazed tiles, as well as RAK Antimicrobial, a super specialty tile for the hospital industry.

Global acclaim has also been forthcoming for the company’s focus on eco-friendly products and its role as a founding member of Emirates Green Building Council, which supports the development of sustainable buildings in the UAE. RAK Ceramics was awarded SUPERBRAND status in 2011 for third consecutive year in a row by the Council of Superbrands, the world’s largest independent brand arbiter.

Special focus on insights into real-time data management, analysis and mobility

Dubai, United Arab Emirates – September 20, 2011 – Sybase, an SAP® company and industry leader in enterprise and mobile software, has announced its participation at GITEX Technology Week 2011, October 9-13, in Dubai. Besides showcasing their leading technologies, the company also plans on addressing a high profile CIO and CTO briefing along with SAP that will focus on their superior Real-Time Enterprise. Conducted by Irfan Khan, Senior Vice President and Chief Technical Officer at Sybase, it will also have other leading speakers who will be present especially for the largest ICT gathering in the Middle East.

“At par with international trends, the Middle East is also experiencing a stupendous increase in business data that is vital to the development and growth of several industries, including Banking, Finance, Telecom, Healthcare & Oil and Gas. Sybase will capitalize on the targeted visitors at GITEX and will highlight our fast paced innovations in data warehousing, analytics and mobility markets.” said, Irfan Khan.

The Sybase team of experts that will be at GITEX will demonstrate the “Real” Real-Time Enterprise by Sybase and SAP. This includes Real-Time Disaster Recovery that consists of data integration techniques that enable businesses to have the right information at the right time and place. They will also present Real-Time Analytics and Reporting that helps in analyzing data in real-time which can provide a leading edge to businesses by identifying opportunities. And, Real-Time Mobility which helps in information made available exactly when and where it is needed and offers optimal support to time critical decisions.

The objective of the scheduled CIO and CTO briefing on October 11, is to focus on the innovation and game changing properties of the SAP/Sybase data management direction. It is built on the foundations of in-memory centric computing and distributed scale-out grid technologies delivering unparalleled performance. Irfan Khan will explain why a technology refresh is required and how it can be delivered into a non-disruptive manner to enable today’s business applications to deal with challenges of massive data and real-time data management requirements.

Tony Achkar, Senior General Manager, Sybase Products Middle East, said, “GITEX will always be an important element of our activities. We plan to update our customers and channel partners about the strategic path that Sybase and SAP will take since the acquisition, and highlight our combined specialities. We also see it as the perfect opportunity to network with industry peers and leaders to discuss latest technology trends and the overall ICT environment at the global and regional levels.”

Sybase will be located at the Majlis Lounge, GITEX Technology Week, World Trade Centre, October 9 - 13

Contact Sybase Products Middle East:

Phone: +971 4 3914391