WALLDORF, Germany, April 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to help discrete manufacturers increase efficiency in engineering and manufacturing, SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced its new plan for authoring tool integration, including a strategy to simplify and expand its offering by integrating authoring tools into the SAP® Product Lifecycle Management application. The SAP® Engineering Control Center integration tool is planned to help companies deliver innovative products and services in a shorter time to market and aims to support a new way of developing products. This ties in with the broader aim of "idea to performance," a holistic business approach to managing the entire life cycle of a product, from design to service.