The Hindu Business Line : CSS Group sets up arm to service Indian clients

The CSS Group has set up an information technology subsidiary, CSS Software India, for servicing Indian clients. The new company will operate out of 12 centres over the next six months.

The new company will offer specific software development and testing facilities and will target verticals such as retail, telecom, banking, financial services and insurance and manufacturing, said Mr Shiva Ramani, co-founder, CSS Group. The company is also upbeat on infrastructure management services for the Indian market.

The company has planned three centres in Maharashtra (Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur) expecting greater demand from North and Western India, said Mr Mani Sam, Head-India Operations, CSS Group. Other centres include Bangalore, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Kolkata and Ahmedabad.

He added that over time, the company should be able to maintain operating profit margins ranging between 20 and 25 per cent.

Commenting on the fact that large clients typically went only with large vendors, he said, "That's where our alliance partners help, in terms of penetrating large clients." The CSS Group has an alliance with IBM. It is learnt that two more alliances are to be finalised shortly.

To hire more

CSS Software will hire over 500 people in the next 12 months, quadrupling headcount from the present 150 employees to 650 employees.

It plans to add 10 Indian more customers this year to its existing 10. "We are close to signing five new customers," said Mr Ramani.