Abaco and SAP America Reaffirm Success of Partnership.

Business Editors & Technology Writers

ATLANTA & NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 5, 2001

E-Business and Mobile Business Solutions Providers Reaffirm 

Commitment to Deliver Global Operational Standards

for Mobile Business Applications

Abaco, the leading provider of mobile business solutions, and SAP America, Inc. today announced the success of their collaborative development partnership for mobile business solutions.

The announcement comes less than a year after SAP and Abaco entered into an agreement to provide middle-tier mobile business solutions to SAP customers using Abaco Varadero. Citing customer wins in multiple vertical markets, the companies have reaffirmed their commitment to deliver global operational standards for mobile business applications.

Together, SAP and Abaco are delivering mobile solutions with Abaco Varadero to SAP customers in various market segments including retail, process, commercial transportation, and manufacturing. From point-of-sale applications for retailers to materials tracking applications for manufacturers, Varadero has provided the framework for connecting enterprise front and back-ends to mobile users in real-time.

"The success of our partnership with SAP is most clearly evidenced and ultimately measured in the value we bring to our customers," said Fernando Alvarez, Executive Chairman and Founder of Abaco. "Reports of return on investment and savings in application development and deployment costs and time have defined the success of this partnership and have led to the deepening of our commitment."

Yodobashi Camera, Japan's largest electronics retailers, is one such customer realizing a return on investment as a result of its e-business solutions from SAP and Abaco. SAP and Abaco jointly developed a mobile point-of-sale solution for Yodobashi that allows its customers to browse, inquire and purchase electronic equipment within the store using "virtual shopping basket" applications on handheld devices.

Within the retail store, customers can enter the product numbers or scan the items in which they are interested. The application provides item descriptions, to which the customers can add accessories, extend the product warranties, obtain additional information, or enter the quantity they wish to purchase. The application enables customers to store purchases in their "virtual basket" until they have finished shopping, at which time they can select checkout by simply swiping a credit card to tender payment. They then proceed to a pick-up counter where their orders are waiting.

"The solution is exactly what we wanted," said Kazunori Fujisawa, CIO of Yodobashi Camera. "We have improved customer service and customer satisfaction with this mobile solution."

Pirelli is another example of a customer benefiting as a result of the partnership. SAP and Abaco delivered a solution using mySAP.com and Abaco Varadero as part of a materials tracking system linking Pirelli's North American manufacturing facilities. The solution helped reduce the complexity and costs of deploying and upgrading the business applications used by the mobile manufacturing personnel. In fact, the development cycle was an amazing 50 percent of the project plan.

"The integration of SAP and Abaco solutions has empowered our employees with the information they need, when they need it," said Jack Sunderman, IS Manager of Manufacturing Execution Systems of Pirelli Cable. "The Varadero thin client architecture has enabled us to develop, deploy and maintain fully-featured enterprise applications quickly and easily."

The SAP and Abaco Cooperative Agreement for Mobile Computing established Abaco Varadero as an SAP preferred partner platform for providing middle-tier mobile business solutions to SAP customers. The agreement was created to establish global operational standards for middle-tier applications through a proven set of solution modules and applications. Abaco has drawn on its previous experiences with integrations of SAP solutions to build a library of application templates, laying the groundwork for the establishment of global operational standards for SAP middle-tier mobile business solutions.

"We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Abaco as they continue to deliver global operational standards for mobile business applications, states Dave Venonsky, Vice President of Collaborative Solutions at SAP America. "More so, we are excited about these new customer developments as a result of the Partnership, and look forward to leveraging Abaco Varadero while offering customers the tremendous benefits and value of mySAP Mobile Business."

The middle-tier, defined as a server with application logic residing between mobile devices and business systems, enables bilateral communication between such devices and systems. Based on open standards, Abaco Varadero supports mobile computing devices, from the latest generation to legacy, and provides a seamless, bi-directional integration of mission-critical information from mobile devices to SAP business solutions in real time, mobilizing the work force and enabling workers to do business at the point of activity.

Vishay Intertechnology, the largest U.S. and European manufacturer of passive electronic components, has implemented Abaco Varadero to complement its SAP logistics execution system. The solution provides extensive goods and customer verification throughout its logistics processes to ensure packing and shipping accuracy for its customers. Vishay has quickly found return on investment in production efficiencies and customer satisfaction.

"Our solution has improved our logistics processes and has given us a great competitive edge," said Seth Slivka, Vice President of Worldwide Logistics of Vishay Intertechnology. "The Abaco technology complements SAP functionality and brings the power of the enterprise to our mobile workers."

Abaco released Varadero version 2.0 recently with added functionality. Varadero allows Microsoft Visual Basic and Borland Delphi developers to create inside the firewall, connected enterprise applications for WinCE, PocketPC, Palm and TELNET-enabled mobile devices. Abaco has also developed special plug-ins that enable color, audio messaging, magnetic card readers, signature capture, portable printers and bar code scanners for complete mobile solutions.

About SAP

SAP is the world's leading provider of e-business software solutions. Through the mySAP.com(R) e-business platform, people in businesses around the globe are improving relationships with customers and partners, streamlining operations, and achieving significant efficiencies throughout their supply chains. Today more than 13,000 companies in over 100 countries run more than 30,000 installations of SAP(R) software. With subsidiaries in over 50 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE under the symbol "SAP." (Additional information at http://www.sap.com)

About Abaco

Abaco is the leading provider of mobile business solutions. A proven leader in the industry, Abaco has more than ten years of experience and 200 installations worldwide.

Abaco solutions leverage companies' existing enterprise infrastructure to empower their mobile workforces with mission critical information at the point of activity. Abaco addresses today's connectivity challenges for the mobile enterprise with solutions for disconnected, occasionally connected and connected environments. Its open standards-based software architectures protect companies' initial investments in application development and deployment without comprising future technology advancement opportunities.

Abaco is headquartered in Atlanta, with offices across the United States and Europe. Leading technology companies such as Microsoft and SAP recognize Abaco as a key partner in their mobile strategies. In 2000, Abaco was awarded a Total Solution Provider Award from AIM and Business Solutions magazine and a Moby Award from Mobile Insights. Abaco investors include Benchmark Capital and Noro-Moseley Partners. For more information, log onto http://www.abacomobile.com/

This press release contains forward-looking statements based on beliefs of SAP management. Any statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "should," "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the current views and assumptions of SAP, and all forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect future SAP financial results are discussed more fully in SAP filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including the SAP Annual Report on Form 20-F for 1999 filed with the SEC on April 7, 2000. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.

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