The new head, until last February the chief of software giant SAP AG, has, besides the makings, a new relationship with the board which may help him.

FORBES: What Leo Apotheker, HP's New Chief, Must Do

"In reality, we have issues within the supply chain because there are several systems out there, and we have breaks within the data process, " said Reinhold Wawrzynek, chief executive of Mobiwork AG, a Munich-based system-software provider in the textile industry.

WSJ: Sewing Machines Go High-Tech