Birlasoft eyes $1-billion revenue in next five years

Birlasoft, a CK Birla Group company, is eyeing $1-billion revenue by FY25 following successful reworking of business strategies over the last 18 months.

Coinciding with it being listed on the bourses, the mid-tier IT firm focussed on micro verticals and annuity-based contracts.

In Q1FY-21, the company managed a contract pipeline of $180 million. The September quarter is expected to see an improvement in terms of new contracts.

“June 2020 was amongst the best quarters we had for signing new wins. And we are witnessing positive momentum in Q2. The focus on micro verticals is working; we are moving away from single project clients to annuity-based ones,” Dharmender Kapoor, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Birlasoft, told BusinessLine .

Also read: Birlasoft inks USD 240-mn deal with Invacare

“We are now looking at the $1-billion turnover mark over the next five years,” he added.

Merger plan

In 2018, Birlasoft announced a complex process of merger and demerger whereby it will first merge with KPIT and then split the combined company into two units. KPIT, which is listed, got board approval for amalgamation with Birlasoft and then a demerger of its engineering business into KPIT Engineering (KEL). The IT company, which is Birlasoft, is focussed on digital and enterprise solutions.

Effects of strategy rework were visible since Q3FY20 when turnover grew six per cent quarter-on-quarter. The move was cemented in Q4FY20, when despite a global slowdown, Birlasoft managed 7 per cent top-line growth, QoQ, beating own estimates. Margins improved sequentially and on a year-on-year basis.

Micro verticals

Explaining the strategy, Kapoor pointed out the company operated across verticals such as manufacturing, life sciences, energy & utilities and BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance). Instead of being “everywhere”, it narrowed down on segments where it had an advantage.

For instance, in the manufacturing vertical, accounting for 38 per cent of its revenues, focus was on hi-tech offerings. In life sciences, focus was on medical devices. In an otherwise cluttered BFSI segment, Birlasoft targeted niche segments such as property and casualty insurance, risk assessment management or capital market solutions and services. The BFSI vertical accounts for 18 per cent of its turnover. Another 15-odd per cent comes from the energy and utility vertical, otherwise a high margin business.

“An example of the focus on micro verticals is the changing mix of the contribution to top-line. Life sciences was 14 per cent a year-ago. Now, it has risen by 14 percentage points to 28 per cent. Similarly, BFSI is expected to grow to nearly 22-25 per cent of turnover, in the next few quarters,” he said.

New geographies

Annuity-based offerings would also allow Birlasoft to penetrate into APAC markets (Asia-Pacific countries) and Europe. It would also reduce risk of over-exposure into the US – which is witnessing increased protectionist measures and stringency in visa norms – that account for 74 per cent of turnover.

“May be in two years we will have 66-68 per cent of the turnover from the Americas and 15-16 per cent from Europe (up from the existing 12 per cent). Rest of the World’s contribution is likely to improve to a significant 17-18 per cent (from 13 per cent),” Kapoor said.

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