News

As part of its IT consolidation program, Netherlands-based multinational Philips is outsourcing its global SAP and data-center services to T-Systems. The ICT provider is assuming responsibility for Philips’ data-center infrastructure in North and South America, the Netherlands, and other European countries. In the future, all of the electronics giant’s IT services will be delivered from a private cloud via T-Systems’ international sites. This is made possible by a dedicated, high-security network. According to Philips’ CIO Maarten de Vries, “T-Systems is a strong, reliable partner who thoroughly understands this technology and is able to serve us worldwide. We can now scale resources up and down in line with our business requirements, and only pay for the computing and storage capacity we actually use. That gives us greater flexibility and cuts costs.”
Contact: p.simons@t-systems.com

For Polish alcoholic beverages distributor and manufacturer Sobieski, quality is of utmost importance. So when it wanted to improve its business processes (ERP), the producer of the sixth most popular vodka in the world tapped T-Systems to establish and deploy an enterprise-wide SAP system. “We wanted to enhance our internal processes, and to be able to respond to market changes more rapidly”, says Dariusz Jamioła, CFO at Sobieski. The first stage of the project focused on strategically-important business processes such as financial accounting and control, sales and distribution, and asset management. The second phase comprised the implementation of a data warehousing solution, CRM system, and tools for detailed planning and budgeting.
“We are currently finishing the implementation of the ERP system and starting work on the second stage. We will support the customer with achieving their project goals, which include increasing efficiency, minimizing downtime, reducing IT costs and growing core business areas”, says Maciej Plebański, Head of IT Sales at Systems Polska.
Contact: maciej.plebanski@t-systems.com.pl

In the world of materials-handling, speed is of the essence. This holds especially true for SICK, a leading supplier of factory, logistics and process automation technology based in Waldkirch in southwest Germany. To keep pace with its rapidly-expanding distribution network in Asia-Pacific, the company needed a better communications network in this region. The new infrastructure had to be scalable, reliable, and available 24/7 – and it had to cut costs. T-Systems mastered the challenge with application servers housed in a data center and an MPLS network connecting SICK’s German headquarters with sites in Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, China, India, Japan, and Australia. Carsten Trapp, Head of IT and Member of the Management Board of the SICK Group, made a very positive initial assessment: “First teething troubles have been overcome and operations are running smoothly. T-Systems Singapore has shown a high degree of flexibility and even “emergencies” have been promptly taken care of. Our servers are very well maintained and available around the clock.”
Contact: michael.schrader@t-systems.com

Italian insurance company Reale Mutua has implemented a disaster recovery solution from T-Systems. Marco Terragno, IT Manager at Reale Mutua, explains, “The current economic climate has led us to take a closer look at our IT systems and processes. We wanted to cut costs while ensuring reliable IT processes across the enterprise.” Thanks to this disaster recovery solution, the insurance player’s of about 1,200 employees always have reliable access to key facts and figures for about one and a half million customers – even if the company’s own systems fail.
Contact: luigi.piacentini@t-systems.it

Starting in 2012, German police, customs and emergency services will coordinate their activities via a tap-proof digital radio network. Based on current estimations, this will mean German states have to hook up more than four thousand base stations to the central network. And T-Systems is supporting ten of the 16 states by providing flexible ICT solutions – including various modules for control centers, and mobile network connections for stations. Mobile connectivity will be deployed in remote locations where it is not cost-effective to establish a fixed-line network. And to deliver greater coverage in urban areas and public spaces such as airports, train stations and stadiums, T-Systems will combine a fixed-line network with mobile connectivity. The Deutsche Telekom subsidiary has extensive experience of working with terrestrial trunked radio (TETRA), and will be responsible for implementing the network, connecting system components and network operation.
Contact: Ingo.Paetzold@t-systems.com

Torfarm S.A. supplies about 9,000 pharmacies, hospitals and health centers in Poland with products from 600 international pharmaceuticals companies. In light of global research activities and short innovation cycles in this industry, product ranges are continuously changing. When Torfarm adds new items to its portfolio, they must be rapidly incorporated into the IT processes that link the publicly traded company to its suppliers and customers. In order to concentrate on its core business, the wholesaler has now tasked T-Systems Polska with developing, establishing and operating a dedicated SAP Competence Center. As Torfarm’s IT Director Wojciech Żurakowski explains: “Having worked successfully with T-Systems since 2005, we have no doubt at all that we have chosen the right partner for this new project.”
Contact: maciej.plebanski@t-systems.com.pl

Global energy player BP is looking to bolster its competitive position through an improved telecommunications infrastructure. To this end, it has opted to appoint T-Systems as lead services integrator for voice and data services. Dana Deasy, BP Group CIO, explains the thinking: “The experience and expertise our new strategic partner, T-Systems, brings to the table will help BP to reduce complexity and lower our overall cost base.” Services will be delivered flexibly, but with consistent quality levels for all sites worldwide. Migration of the entire BP network to next-generation voice and data communications will lead to a significant reduction in the number of suppliers, systems and components. The contract is for an initial term of five years, and has caught the eye of top analysts: IDC, for instance, concludes, ”This deal undoubtedly strengthens T-Systems’ position as a leading provider of global ICT solutions.”
Contact: jim.finnie@t-systems.com

Germany’s Federal Employment Agency has entrusted T-Systems with monitoring its entire IT infrastructure. In future, T-Systems will oversee the servers, networks, applications and data-center components for 170,000 desktops from a single control center. The Federal Employment Agency’s IT unit is one of the largest IT providers in Germany and is responsible for the smooth running of processes at employment agencies across the country, including the payment of child benefits and processes involved in joint initiatives with other authorities or organizations. Previously, the agency monitored its IT in-house, with employees working in two shifts. But new Web applications and increasing service requirements have made around-the-clock operation necessary. This will now be delivered by T-Systems as a managed service from the agency’s headquarters in Nuremberg. With the deal, the agency is one step closer to achieving its vision of becoming Germany’s most cost-effective and expert IT provider for the public sector.
Contact: Renate.Schueler@t-systems.com

Whether convertibles, limousines or coupés – auto manufacturers no longer have to place prototypes in wind tunnels to determine their aerodynamic resistance: airflow can be simulated on a computer, saving both time and money. But procedures such as this, used to develop quiet, low-emission and fuel-efficient cars, require powerful computing resources. To make sure the industry has the high-performance computing (HPC) it needs to achieve its environmental goals, T-Systems has established a public-private partnership with stakeholders including Stuttgart University, Porsche and the Automotive Simulation Center Stuttgart. “We are offering automakers a crucial competitive advantage. They have the opportunity to use computers that are otherwise only found in the public sector, and don’t have to invest in in-house resources,” says Alfred Geiger, Head of Science and Innovation Solutions in the HPC unit at T-Systems. “It is a sensible, sustainable solution,” praises ASCS CEO Professor Erich Schelkle, Senior Manager for Strategy and Methods at Porsche. “Through a combination of practical projects and basic research, we are continuously improving simulation models – and can gradually phase out tests using real prototypes.”
Contact: Alfred.Geiger@t-systems.com

Italian tire manufacturer Pirelli has outsourced selected HR-related tasks to T-Systems. The agreement, which includes payroll accounting and time management, covers all aspects of the system architecture. The service also includes the technical management of an SAP human capital management platform. Pirelli, the fifth largest tire maker in the world, with annual revenues of 4.1 billion euros, benefits from clearly defined SLAs, high availability and a future-proof, innovative ICT structure. “Our offering minimizes the risk of downtime, improves service continuity and helps our customer make more efficient use of resources,” underlines Guiscardo Pin, Managing Director of T-Systems Italy. These are some of the key reasons that Pirelli has renewed and extended the scope of its existing nine-year partnership with the ICT service provider.
Contact: giovanni.annunziata@t-systems.it

After sealing the deal with South African energy player Eskom and the transport company Transnet for their ICT infrastructure, T-Systems South Africa is now a formidable player on the country’s ICT market. The five-year contract is valued in the hundreds of millions of euros. As part of the deal, T-Systems bought IT provider arivia.kom, which was previously owned by Eskom and Transnet. Thanks to existing arivia.kom SAP contracts and resources, T-Systems is now the largest provider of SAP services in South Africa. Eskom and Transnet decided to source infrastructure services from a leading provider in order to benefit from global expertise and IT innovations.
“After BP and Philips, this is the third big deal to be won recently. This is confirmation that our international growth strategy is working,” says Reinhard Clemens, CEO of T-Systems.
Contact: Ronell.Stutzer@t-systems.co.za