The Hindu Business Line : Deutsche Telekom unit opens centre in Pune

EUROPEAN information and communication technology service provider T-Systems, a division of the $71.83-billion Deutsche Telekom, has set up its second off-shore development centre out of Germany, in Pune city as part of its internationalisation programme.

Talking to reporters, Mr Tony Wadhawan, Managing Director, T- Systems said the new centre would develop software and solutions for the parent company, which focuses on manufacturing, telecom, financial services, banking and government sectors.

The new venture will focus on enterprise resource planning, CRM, Internet technologies, software testing and validation, Mr Wadhawan said.

The company, which has set up shop out of an 8,000 sq ft facility at the new International convention centre in the city, is firming up plans to rapidly step up operations, to increase manpower from the existing level of 60 to 500 by December 2005.

Mr Wadhawan said the company has plans to get a thousand software professionals on board in the first three years. The India centre will develop new products and support the existing products for all the clients of T-Systems International whose clients include Airbus, Dresdner bank, Nokia Otis and Porsche among others.

The company expects to implement work worth receipts of euro 30-40 million over the next three years, he said. The development centre, meanwhile, is also looking at creating infrastructure that will enable it to tap markets outside of the non-English speaking markets such as Japan and China according to Mr Wadhawan who said plans are initially being made to recruit people with German language skills.

T-Systems India is a hundred per cent export-oriented unit.