Although SAP AG’s R/3 3.0 manufacturing and accounting suite is now seen by the company as a mid-year product, Europe’s largest software supplier had originally positioned R/3 3.0 as a first quarter release. Once seen as the vehicle for SAP’s object-oriented intent, the company has toned down some of its March 1994 pronouncements and is now projecting 3.0 as a more incremental set of enhancements rather than a new generation product or paradigm shift. All current R/3 technologies are being fleshed out for 3.0 – additional workflow management, high-availability and monitoring tools are promised across the suite. Many new features are being added based on users’ demands, claims SAP. Hooks and handles into other software users have been the main req uirements. The German firm is apparently working flat out to get something up and running in time for the Hannover Fair, by which time early beta releases should be about ready for favoured customers. Both Unix and Windows NT implementations will be on offer from day one. Meanwhile, there has already been a severe shortage of programmers, developers and consultants trained to use the existing R/3 feature sets. To address this, SAP has initially reorganised its services programmes into specific customer support, product support and education divisions in the US. It has hired 200 new customer service and consulting staff immediately and will add 100 new staff in North America every 10 to 12 weeks. By the year end it hopes to have some 5,000 trained consultants throughout its partner organisations, up from 2,200 at the end of last year. It is also creating nine more training centres this quarter across the US, Canada and Mexico.
