The Hindu Business Line : Score Info sets up RFID centre in Gurgaon

SCORE Information Technologies Ltd, a member of the Rs 500-crore Kankaria Group of companies, has identified RFID (Radio Frequency-based Identification) and smart card solutions as key drivers of business growth in the years ahead.

With a view to tapping the growing scope for RFID and smart card solutions businesses in India and neighbouring countries, Score Information Technologies Ltd has set up a centre of excellence in Gurgaon near Delhi. The centre, which will be formally inaugurated tomorrow , would be exclusively engaged in research and development in RFID and smart card solutions. About 140 people will be engaged in the centre.

Stating this during an interface with Business Line here recently, the Chief Executive Officer of Score Information Technologies Ltd, Mr Yogesh Kankaria, disclosed that the company had bagged a smart card project from the Ministry of Defence. Meant to cover all those who are under the ambit of the Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), the five-year project will see the disbursal of 40 million smart cards to ex-servicemen and their dependents across the country. "The ECHS is the largest smart card-based project in the country and will enable the company generate incremental revenue of Rs 40 crore", he said.

The "vendor-independent, technology-neutral systems integration company" has also undertaken a smart card-based "terminal programming" project in South East Asia. It is also scouting for new business opportunities in several e-Governance projects of the Centre and State Government Departments. The banking, insurance and healthcare sectors, too, have great scope for smart card-based projects.

Score Information Technologies' global strategic alliance partners include Infineon of Germany, Iris of Malaysia, Syris of Taiwan, Cybernet of Korea, Kinetics and Autostar of Singapore, Microsoft and Sun Microsystems. Its list of clients in India include Nabard, Tata Steel, Tata Consultancy Services, Reliance Telecom, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Life Insurance Corporation of India, Union Ministry of Defence, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, Hindalco Industries and Birla Corporation, among others.

The company registered a turnover of Rs 15 crore in 2003-04. It has set a turnover target of Rs 45 crore in the current fiscal. By 2006-07, the company hopes to achieve a turnover of "at least Rs 200 crore", according to Mr Kankaria.