SAP SEES ASIA AS GROWTH ENGINE

Singapore
The Hindu Business LineGerman software company SAP AG has not seen a major deterioration in its Asia operations despite signs of a weakening global economy and plans to continue to add headcount in Asia for the rest of this year, a senior executive said.

''The market prognosis is still good,'' the SAP Asia-Pacific Japan President, Geraldine McBride, told Dow Jones in a recent interview. ''Our pipelines are still looking strong and we continue to be cautiously optimistic.''

SAP's Asia-Pacific and Japan revenue grew by 23 percent on year to {euro}373 million for the second quarter ended June 30, outpacing an 18 percent growth for all of the company as well as that of the rest of its regions {ndash} Americas and Europe, West Asia and Africa.

McBride said SAP will add headcount in Asia for the rest of this year at a pace similar to that of the first half as the company expands its presence in the region.