ICICI Infotech eyes SMB sector

Aims to be among top two ERP providers

ICICI Infotech Ltd, engaged in providing end-to-end IT solutions in the areas of banking, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), security consulting and software outsourcing, aims at a larger chunk of the ERP market in the country by tapping the immense opportunities that are on offer in the Small and Medium Business (SMB) segment.

Having launched Orion Advantage, the customised ERP solutions for the SMB segment, ICICI Infotech aims at being among the top two ERP solutions provider in the SMB segment in the next year or so.

For this, it has identified segments such as pharmaceuticals, auto ancillaries and chemicals as key drivers of growth and has designed custom made solutions for units in these segments.

"There has been a huge vacuum in ERP solutions in the SMB segment that includes those units having a turnover of between Rs 20 crore and Rs 250 crore. According to estimates, there are at least 6 lakh units that can be covered. ICICI Infotech has identified auto ancillaries, pharmaceuticals and chemicals and those areas where ERP solutions will work best, as these are the growign and profit making sectors," said R K Kanthi, deputy general manager ICICI Infotech, in Ahmedabad, on Thursday.

Kanthi said that a very miniscule part of this segment has actually been tapped and this is where the Orion Advantage fits in well.

"We are providing micro-vertical segments, meaning, that there are separate customised solutions for each of the segments, which means that the customers will get exactly what they require," Kanthi said.

He added that the ERP solutions package will include a server, an Oracle database, Windows client access licence, the Orion Advantage ERP and the like. "This allows us to provide the solution at almost MRP price, as we have a special tie-up with Hewlett-Packard.

ICICI Infotech has already roped in 20 end users since the Orion Advantage was launched in June this year and expects to have 100 customers by the year-end.

"We will do more than 250 customers by the end of the next year and 350 new customers every year after two years," said Kanthi, who is also Group Head, Enterprise Systems of ICICI Infotech.

He added that the company aims to be among the top two ERP solutions providers in the SMB segment and among the top four in the overall ERP solutions providers within the next one year.

According to International Data Collection (IDC) figures, SAP is the overall leader in ERP solutions in India with a share of 57 per cent. There are over a dozen other big players in the ERP solutions provider market.