Bloomberg reports on growing iPad usage at SAP, Wells Fargo, and Daimler:

Apple, known for courting consumers with sleek designs and easy-to-use software, is making inroads with corporations that say the iPad can make workers more productive without putting sensitive customer information at risk, Bloomberg Businessweek.com reported. SAP AG, Tellabs Inc. and Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz are using the tablet-style computer for tasks as varied as accessing work e-mail, approving shipping orders and calling up on-the-spot auto-finance options.

Rob Enslin, President of SAP North America, carries only an iPad in addition to his Blackberry when he travels:

Enslin says that when he travels, the only device he carries besides a Research In Motion Ltd. BlackBerry is the iPad. “It’s allowed me to almost run a paperless office,” said Enslin, who uses it to access business applications, briefing documents, customer information and other data.

SAP, based in Walldorf, Germany, also works with clients to put its products on mobile devices including the iPad. Tellabs, for instance, collaborated with SAP and Sybase on an iPad app that lets managers quickly approve shipping of customer orders.

Wells Fargo realized the growing importance of the iPad to its business when it noticed an uptick in iPads being used to access its online financial management tools:

Wells Fargo saw how quickly the iPad might take hold amid businesses the weekend it was released. Finance executives of large companies — those that generate more than $50 million in sales — accessed corporate accounts with iPads, says Amy Johnson, a Wells Fargo vice president who works on the company’s online portal and mobile strategy.

iPads are also being used on the showroom floor of automaker Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz dealerships:

Sales representatives in 40 U.S. dealerships in late May began using iPads on showroom floors to order on-the- spot financing options for customers, says Andreas Hinrichs, vice president of marketing at Mercedes-Benz Financial. The company now is considering doling out iPads to all of its 350 U.S. dealerships.

BusinessWeek reports on how furniture-maker Arhaus is improving delivery times and reducing paper costs with the iPad:

Arhaus Furniture estimates it will save $100,000 in paper costs annually when it gives its 50 drivers iPads to use when delivering furniture from its stores. Arhaus uses software from TOA Technologies to track drivers on their routes and to predict within a one-hour window when they will arrive at a customer’s home. TOA is now creating an iPad app for Arhaus.

Arhaus may also use the iPad to sell accessories during delivery, potentially adding a new revenue opportunity to that process:

“The unique features of the iPad are the ability to use the built-in GPS function and the ability to collect electronic signatures,” says Irad Carmi, co-founder of TOA Technologies, adding that the size of the device is just right for drivers to carry. TOA may add a piece to the app that lets Arhaus drivers show customers photos from the catalog so they can sell accessories during the delivery process. Arhaus wants to have its drivers equipped with iPads in time for the holiday season.