It’s a success story with few equals: for more than 30 years the company has been active in systems analysis and software development, becoming in the process the third largest software company in the world. The software programs developed by SAP simplify the workflows in companies and speed up manufacturing and other processes. There’s hardly a company anywhere that doesn’t use R/2 or R/3 – the best known of all SAP’s programs.

SAP’s headquarters are in Walldorf near Heidelberg in the far north-west of Baden-Württemberg. Long before you reach it, the enormous head office building with its three giant letters makes an impressive sight as you drive along the autobahn. It’s rare to find no building work going on there: the buildings are constantly being enlarged to accommodate the expanding workforce. The company was set up by five former IBM employees in 1972. Today, some 35,000 people worldwide are in the employ of SAP – almost 14,000 of which are working in Germany.

The men who were there at the very beginning - Hasso Plattner, Henning Kagermann and Dietmar Hopp – have long since become icons of the software industry. They have not been  involved in day-to-day production for some years, concentrating on the company’s strategic fortunes as members of the supervisory board. They were always able to hold their own against their major competitors in the USA, and ward off every threat of a takeover. Even in the 90’s, when the first big IT boom had ended, SAP’s fortunes didn’t flag. On the contrary: a reorientation of the company produced rising turnover, because the programs were redesigned so as to be Internet compatible. In recent years, the focus has shifted to middle-sized companies. The programs once developed for large concerns are being made even more attractive for smaller companies.

Another reason why SAP has been so successful for decades is that it is a company in which each individual employee carries a lot of responsibility and enjoys a lot of freedom. Being a ‘SAPler’ means working in your own little town – everything is provided, from an up-to-date working environment to a fitness center and even to a dry-cleaners. There are no fixed working hours and no-one checks up on how long you work. Salaries are above-average. After three years with the company you are entitled to a company car. That’s the kind of thing which generates real motivation.

In the spring of this year, the company had been awarded with the title of "Germany's best employer", which was carried by the vote of its own employees. The criteria were fairness, team spirit, credibility, pride and respect towards the employer. This victory qualified the company to participate in the contest for the most attractive employer in Europe in the category of companies with more than 5,000 employees.

The company is also flying its flag in other fields. A few months ago the new SAP Arena, a modern multi-functional events center, was opened in Mannheim. Stars of the entertainment world are already beating a path to its doors. Since 1997 SAP has also sponsored the Mannheim Eagles ice-hockey team which plays in the German premier hockey league. In that time the Eagles have been German Champions no less than four times.