DHL lost 345 million euros because of the failure IT project of SAP

2015: Unsuccessful software updating of SAP in Deutsche Post of DHL

At the beginning of December, 2015 SAP declared the non-participation in the failure IT project in Deutsche Post of DHL because of which the German company missed about a third one billion euros income.

In 2015 Deutsche Post of DHL began a software update in computer systems of logistics division of Global Forwarding. This project which received the internal name New Forwarding Environment (NFE) assumes implementation of a set of the new technologies directed, in particular, to increase in transparency of process of transportation and reduction of paper work due to more active use of an electronic management system for document flow.

DHL lost 345 million euros because of the failure IT project of SAP and IBM

However the problems which arose during implementation of this project led to write-off at a loss 345 million euros, including 37 million euros spent for removal of software. What went not so, was not specified.

The company does not tell the names of contractors of the NFE project. According to the German media, Deutsche Post of DHL cooperated with SAP and IBM from which indemnification is going to demand. SAP confirmed participation in the project, but noted that in it the company was only a supplier of software.

"We are not a general contractor. There the software of SAP is used. We sell licenses, but we are not responsible for questions of implementation" — the representative of the German vendor Hilmar Schepp holding positions of the head of development of strategic innovations and the senior director on global corporate questions said.

Deutsche Post of DHL agrees that the simple software supplier cannot bear responsibility for the arisen malfunctions as he is not engaged in setup of a product, optimization and its testing after installation.

"We hope that the chief contractor who is responsible for the program completely will fulfill the agreement obligations" — the representative of Deutsche Post DHL Group Daniel McGrath said, having added that the company would not like to reveal names of the partners and suppliers.

According to the western journalists, the main integrator in the unsuccessful NFE project is IBM therefore it should be responsible for the work. The American corporation abstains from comments.

The CEO of Deutsche Post of DHL Frank Appel said that after failure updating of information systems the company intends to approach this process with bigger care and to carry out it step by step.^[1]

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