Amara Raja Group to hire 3,000 in 5 yrs; aims $2bn revenue

Diversified business house Amara Raja is planning to hire 3,000 people in the next five years as part of its strategy to become a $2 billion (over Rs 9,300 crore) entity by 2015.

The group, better known for its automotive battery brand -- Amaron, currently has about 5,000 staff across verticals with a combined turnover of Rs 2,000 crore.

"We have set our vision for 2025 and it is to become a Fortune500 company. As part of this strategy, we are aiming for a total turnover of $2 billion in the next five years," Amara Raja Group Vice President (Human Resources) Jaikrishna B told PTI.

The group has expanded at 55-60 per cent during the last five years and the growth rate is expected to continue for some more time, he added.
    
"To meet our target, we will also have to increase our manpower. From the current 5,000 employees, it will expand to about 8,000 people in next five years," Jaikrishna said.
    
Established in 1985, the Amara Raja Group has seven entities. It has presence in packaged foods and beverages, electronics products manufacturing, infrastructure sector, power system production and fabrication of sheet metal products and fasteners.
    
"Besides expanding our exiting businesses, we are contemplating to enter into a couple of more areas," he said.
    
The group is planning to foray into providing private security guards to big installations.
    
"We are targeting to have a strength of 500 security officials and aiming a revenue of Rs 125 crore from this business in the next five years," Jaikrishna said.
    
The conglomerate is also setting up a 500-acre digital city for electronics goods manufacturing at Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh, entailing a total investment of Rs 1,700 crore in the next 10 years.
    
The economic activity in the digital city project is expected to be over Rs 10,000 crore per annum, besides providing employment to more than 20,000 people.
    
Amara Raja Group is also planning to foray into the health drink and frozen food category as part of its plan to become a pan-India FMCG player.
    
The group currently has an export-oriented fruits and vegetables division under the brand -- Galla Foods, which also sells mango and litchi nectars in some South Indian states.