BAR Honda sign SAP technical partnership

SAP join BAR
By BAR F1 (02/04/2004)
April 2 2004

With the 2004 FIA Formula One World Championship gathering pace, Lucky Strike BAR Honda is pleased to announce that it has agreed a Technical Partnership with leading software company SAP UK.

The partnership commences immediately and formalises an existing three-year relationship between BAR and SAP UK.

BAR originally linked up with SAP UK in December 2000, having started a phased evaluation of the IT system in April of that year. The implementation started in February 2001 and went live in September of the same year - an extremely fast implementation given the complexity of BAR's business processes.

The SAP solution at BAR replaced a fragmented collection of software with an integrated process, effectively providing a closed loop of control right across the business, from finance to the pit lane. The team gains particular advantage from the degree of functionality in the lifing system.

David Richards, BAR Team Principal, commented "A Formula One team is a fairly complex business to manage. The difference between success and failure is very small, so you have to take advantage in every area that you can. SAP has - without a doubt - given us the opportunity to maximise our performance across a range of functions and is now an integral element of our operation. I look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with SAP."

Martin Metcalf, Managing Director of SAP UK, Ireland and Africa, said "BAR has put the SAP solution at the heart of its business. We have delivered a solution designed specifically for the requirements of motor sport teams to ensure speedy delivery and fast time to benefit. Our announcement today deepens the relationship SAP UK and BAR already enjoy, and takes us further along the path of a long-term, mutually beneficial partnership."