i2 stacks up $30 million to ramp up Bangalore centre

Prachi Verma, New Delhi,
September 20, 2002

Nasdaq-listed i2 Technologies has earmarked $30 million to be invested in its global consultancy solution centre at Bangalore over the next three years. By end of this year, the centre is likely to employ 100 software professionals and by 2004 it is expected to hire 200 additional professionals.

The centre, set up in June this year, currently has around 50 people. i2 has invested around $1 million in it so far. i2 Technologies, which specialises in supply chain management (SCM) and supplier relationship management (SRM) solutions, will invest through its Indian subsidiary.

"The company has cash reserves of $600 million, of which over $30 million will be infused to set up the global consultancy centre," i2 Technologies India Pvt Ltd country head for supply chain management (SCM) and solution centre Austin Thomas said. Apart from providing consultancy work, it will also do development work like upgradation of existing SCM and SRM solutions and application service provider (ASP) model.

Investment and expansion of its solution centre is one among the company's three-pronged strategies planned for its Indian operations. The other strategies include increase in development work and marketing initiatives. At present, India contributes 70 percent to the company's total development work. "The company intends to shift another 10 percent of its development work to India in the coming year," Thomas said. The company has over 980 professionals in India.

On the marketing front, i2 Technologies is planning to partner with companies in India. Among other companies, it is in talks with Wipro and TCS for possible marketing alliances, according to Thomas. The company has clients in verticals like consumer electronics, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), automobiles and pharmaceuticals. It has 14 clients including Asian Paints, Maruti, Indian Oil, etc.

i2 Technologies has outsourced a part of its call centre work to Talisma, a company providing IT-enabled services solutions. "Globally we target three main sectors  manufacturing, retail and services, but in India we are strongest in manufacturing," he said.

Source: The Financial Express