Ness Tech unveils its first SEZ

Bangalore-headquartered Ness Technologies India, a provider of end-to-end IT services and solutions, has inaugurated its first special economic zone facility to cater to its global client base in the software product engineering domain. This will enable an increase in its headcount in India.

The company has 3,000 employees in India and is looking to raise it to 5,000 in the next few years on the basis of such expansion, said Sachi Gerlitz, president and CEO of Ness Technologies.

Speaking on the effect of the economic slowdown on the company, Gerlitz said, “The revenues for 2009 had been impacted by the macro economic situation but we have maintained a CAGR of 20 per cent. This is because 85 per cent of new business comes from old customers.” India operations make up 35 per cent of the company’s global workforce.

The SEZ — Ness-E-Zone — will come up over 60,000 square feet, which is part of the 106 acres of notified IT/ITeS SEZ Vrindavan Tech Village in Bangalore.

A unit of 30,000 square feet has been made operational in the first phase that will accommodate 300 seats. By March 2010, the facility will house 600 seats. So far, the facility has seen an investment of $1 million (Rs 4.8 crore approx), which will be scaled up eventually, said Satyajit Bandyopadhyay, president and managing director of Ness Technologies India.

He added that the investment would be sourced by the company’s internal funds. Ness Technologies India is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ness Technologies Inc.

Ness, in India, has a footprint in five cities and 10 locations. “The facility is in line with our growth strategy and is the first step towards achieving our objective of creating employment opportunities and cross the 5,000-employee threshold,” Satyajit Bandyopadhyay, president & managing director of Ness India Pvt Ltd, said.

“We hope to complete the second phase by March 2010, taking the total strength to 600,” he added.

Ness Technologies India caters to the delivery needs of clients in Europe, Israel and the US through its software product labs in Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune. It has around 60 labs.

The parent company, Ness Technologies Inc, earns 16-20 per cent of its revenues from the software product development segment where delivery is carried out from India.