SAP Helps Rubbermaid Commercial Products Streamline Delivery of Product Information

SAP Helps Rubbermaid Commercial Products Streamline Delivery of Product Information to Distributors and Customers While Reducing Costs
SAP NetWeaver® Master Data Management Provides Unified View of Information on 3,000 Products Across 12 Systems


CHICAGO - March 20, 2006 - SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced that Rubbermaid Commercial Products (RCP) has improved distributor relations, enhanced customer service and significantly reduced administrative costs since its implementation of SAP NetWeaver® Master Data Management (MDM), which provides a single view of RCP product data for its more than 3,000 products. Now, RCP can respond more quickly to distributor and customer requests for product information, because its product data is more current and accurate. The RCP website is now receiving four times more traffic than before the implementation due to improved accuracy, usability and performance. The announcement was made at National Manufacturing Week, being held in Chicago, Ill., March 20-23, 2006.

RCP, a division of the giant consumer and commercial product manufacturer Newell Rubbermaid, Inc., is responsible for a vast range of products that are delivered to airports, factories, hospitals, offices, schools and other commercial and industrial organizations. Because some products are designed and manufactured in-house and others are outsourced, RCP’s product information became scattered throughout 12 separate databases. As a consequence, RCP found itself scrambling to locate and send product information each time it was requested by one of several hundred distributors. RCP turned to SAP for a better method of managing its data and keeping it visible for all partners and distributors.

“Prior to the SAP implementation, we found that getting the right product information to our distributors and partners was time consuming and extremely challenging,” said Joe DeZarn, director, marketing communications, Rubbermaid Commercial Products. “Now, SAP NetWeaver MDM has enabled us to significantly improve the ways in which we are collaborating with our distribution and retail partners. We can publish accurate and cleansed product information directly to our partner systems, as well as other channels, such as the Web and printed publications. Our customers look to us to provide continued leadership in addressing their needs for prompt and accurate delivery of information, and SAP NetWeaver MDM is playing an important role in helping us achieve that.”

SAP NetWeaver MDM was deployed at RCP in less than three months and went live for more than 300 users, with nearly immediate adoption due to the ease of the interface. A key component of the SAP NetWeaver platform, MDM integrated directly with RCP’s existing technology landscape, eliminating the need for a costly IT overhaul. Based on enterprise services architecture (ESA), SAP’s blueprint for complete services-based solutions, SAP NetWeaver MDM will enable RCP to enhance the flexibility of its business processes.

“We realize that, in most companies, master data lives in multiple systems, spreadsheets and applications, evolving independently and sometimes in conflict,” said Nimish Mehta, senior vice president, Enterprise Information Management, SAP. “Inaccurate master data can lead to poor decision-making, costly delays and lost opportunities for up-selling. SAP has created a master data management solution that addresses this issue head on, enabling companies to consolidate, cleanse and normalize all master data. With SAP NetWeaver MDM, companies such as Rubbermaid Commercial Products can ensure they’re sending the most reliable information to partners and customers, thereby increasing productivity and retaining competitive advantage.”

About SAP SAP is the world’s leading provider of business software solutions*. Today, more than 32,000 customers in more than 120 countries run SAP® software—from distinct solutions addressing the needs of small and midsize enterprises to suite offerings for global organizations. Powered by the SAP NetWeaver® platform to drive innovation and enable business change, SAP business solutions help enterprises of all sizes around the world improve customer relationships, enhance partner collaboration and create efficiencies across their supply chains and business operations. SAP industry solutions support the unique business processes of more than 25 industries, including high tech, healthcare, retail, public sector and financial services. With subsidiaries in more than 50 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE under the symbol “SAP.”