Hopetech-SAP Centre of Excellence Will Help Bumiputera SMEs Earn RM300 Million Over 5 Years

Hopetech and SAP will collaborate to provide industry knowledge and technical resources to Bumiputera SMEs in the transportation and logistics industries

Kuala Lumpur – 17th November, 2011 – Hopetech Sdn. Bhd. and SAP Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today that announced their commitment to collaborate in establishing the Hopetech-SAP Centre of Excellence (COE). The COE will be housed at Hopetech’s research and development facility in Kuala Lumpur and is expected to be in full operation by 1st Quarter 2012. This initiative is made possible with the facilitation and support from MDeC and Teraju.

The Hopetech-SAP COE will provide Bumiputra SMEs in the transportation and logistics industries with information about and training in global best practices and also assist them with technical resources to compete more effectively in both the Malaysian and South East Asian markets. Hopetech and SAP expect to train more than 300 professionals at the COE over the next 3 to 5 years. The knowledge, skills and expertise that these professionals will gain is projected to help Bumiputera SMEs in the transportation industry to earn over RM300 million in additional revenues by 2017.

“This collaboration will provide a platform allowing SAP, Hopetech and MDeC to work closely with Bumiputera SMEs in the transportation and logistics industry and get them involved in the early research initiatives developing software solutions for transportation and urban management,” said Serene Sia, Managing Director, SAP Malaysia.

“The participation of Bumiputera SMEs will allow us to do research in real world settings and develop a foundation of highly skilled, local talent to draw upon. Together we will help companies throughout Malaysia become best run businesses and achieve tangible business benefits through our industry leading software solutions,” said Sia.

The first stage of the Hopetech-SAP COE collaboration will see SAP upskill and train 20 engineers from Hopetech in SAP’s industry leading, transportation software solutions within the first half of 2012.

Hopetech will then take the lead in developing an R&D strategy aimed at implementing state of the art revenue collection, ticketing and electronic payment solutions for the transportation industry through enhancing existing and developing new and innovative products and solutions.

“Hopetech’s business presence in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and India will be greatly enhanced with this collaboration with SAP as it will not only equip our staff with the relevant skill sets but would also expose us to global best practices. We are thankful to MDeC and Teraju for their support and we foresee this as a stepping stone for greater involvement from other transport related government agencies," Tuan Haji Zainulhanif Zulkifli, CEO, Hopetech.

MDeC and Teraju will support and facilitate the Hopetech-SAP COE by identifying and coordinating suitable Bumiputera SMEs for participation in the COE’s various programmes. In the second half of 2012, MDeC and Teraju will invite government agencies and government-linked companies (GLCs) that are related to the transportation industry such as the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD), Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM), Prasarana, and Malaysia Railway (KTM) among others to participate in the COE’s programs.

Once these organisations have completed their training at the Hopetech-SAP COE Bumiputera SMEs will be invited to participate in the COE. Initial candidates are expected to come from subsidiaries and affiliates of the first intake of government agencies and GLCs. MDeC will also invite and encourage more than 2,000 MSC Malaysia Status companies to participate in the Hopetech-SAP COE.

Hopetech is a home-grown IT company that has delivered projects for the past 12 years within the region and South Asia particularly in transportation industry. It has been providing electronic payment and settlement solutions for toll, rail, parking and bus operators as well as banks for its e-purse back office system.

SAP is a market leader in enterprise application software. SAP will provide 3 internships at SAP Research in Singapore and in Australia for students graduating from the Hopetech-SAP COE. SAP will also extend research programs at the two SAP Research facilities and provide access to SAP Labs to qualified Malaysian Bumiputra SMEs.

SAP and Hopetech will also work together with universities and other agencies to jointly sponsor the Young ICT Explorers competition in Malaysia. Young ICT Explorers is a not-for-profit competition, which has been created by SAP to encourage school students to create their best ICT related projects.