The Hindu Business Line : OATSystems considering second facility in India

OATSystems, a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) framework company, has said it plans to open a second facility in India soon as part of its larger strategy to do full product development in the country by next year-end.

The company currently has a product development facility in Hyderabad and a bigger development centre in Boston.

"We set up a presence in Hyderabad with a product development facility about a year and half ago which is involved in developing software for RFID.

"Till now only a part of the development work was happening in India. We plan to do 100 per cent of our product development in India by 2005 end," Mr Jasjit Mangat, Head of Consulting, Asia, said.

While the India facilities would focus on OAT foundation - a software on which RFID solution is built, the Boston facility would concentrate on applications.

"Going forward we see 50 per cent of the incremental headcount being added in India," he said.

The company is looking at Bangalore, Delhi and Hyderabad as new location for its second facility.

Mr Mangat, however, declined to divulge specific investment details for India.

The company is also looking at three new business groups in India, quality engineering group, product support and professionals services/consulting.

OATSystems develops software that enables businesses to achieve competitive edge from RFID. Its multinational client base includes companies such as Hewlett Packard and Gillette. The company received $11.5 million in funding from Greylock and Matrix Partners in September 2003.