According to the FD has Car lease company LeasePlan suffered a loss of at least € 92 million due to a failed IT project. The international roll-out of an IT system based on SAP software did not get off the ground and has been discontinued.

The implementation of SAP should have made the company more efficient, resulting in lower costs. The reverse is the case. The decision to stop using SAP results in a one-off write-down of € 92 million on the software. Apart from that, a further € 31 million in costs were incurred in the past quarter, partly due to the failed IT project.

This is evident from the second quarter figures and interviews conducted with those involved. As a result, net profit in the second quarter fell from € 152 million a year earlier to € 32 million.

LeasePlan contests that it is a failed IT project. According to CEO Tex Gunning, 'a digital revolution' is underway in the leasing sector. The SAP software would not fit in there. LeasePlan now announces that it will develop its own software system consisting of various components. The CEO expects construction to take three to five years to complete.

'We build it ourselves, partly purchasing the modules elsewhere,' says Gunning.

LeasePlan is one of the largest leasing companies in the world. The company has a fleet of 1,85 million lease cars in more than 30 countries. In addition, it operates a platform for the sale of second-hand cars, which is mainly powered by own cars whose lease contracts have expired, according to the FD.

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