SAP denies split with Commerce One – posts massive Q4 results

SAP, the enterprise software giant which last month amazed world markets with news of its Q4 2001 software license sales exceeding eur 1bn ($888 million and well over Wall Street’s projected eur 800m), is not parting company with partner Commerce One, as reported in much of the world press recently. In a statement of denial, the firm insisted that its release of the fact that its two e-procurement platforms (Enterprise Buyer Professional Edition and Desktop Edition, originally from SAP and Commerce One respectively), were to be sold under separate names henceforth (mySAP SRM and Collaborative Procurement) by the separate companies was no more than a reflection of different functionality and markets. SAP’s and Commerce One’s flagship MarketSet will continue to rely on the joint technology platform and the partnership – despite analyst concerns – lives on. Meanwhile, back on the figures, SAP’s 2001 full-year revenues have grown by more than 16%, with operating margins matching the 20% levels achieved by the company for 2000. As for the future, the firm expresses some caution, saying it expects the near-term market environment “to remain challenging”. However, it anticipates continued year on year growth of 16% as customers continue “to invest cautiously in e-business software solutions” in difficult economic conditions.