SAP Acquires A2i

German software giant SAP has bought the privately held software company A2i for an undisclosed amount, the company announced on Tuesday. The deal is part of SAP's efforts to broaden the data management capabilities of its NetWeaver platform. A2i, which is based in Los Angeles, develops software for product content management and cross-media catalog publishing. "We are not looking for huge acquisition targets, nor do we want to buy market shares or customers," said SAP's chief executive officer, Henning Kagermann. SAP is on the look-out for complementary technologies that it doesn't have, or can't develop in a cost-effective manner, he added. SAP is the world's leading provider of business software solutions. The company is bucking the trend of dismal financial warnings, and has raised its revenue forecast. It expects second-quarter revenue to be up 9 percent and software revenue to grow 15 percent in the same period. SAP will report final figures on July 22.