Siemens to expand in South India

Software arm may add 1,000 developers in Bangalore

The Siemens Group has announced its intent to expand aggressively in South India over the coming years. The group, which provides industry and infrastructure solutions in India with business aggregating around Rs 5,400 crore, said that South India is a critical part of its operations and this is being strengthened.

Announcing this on the occasion of Siemens completing 50 years of manufacturing in India, Siemens Ltd MD J Schubert said, "Bangalore operations are key for us. This city alone constitutes about one-third, about 4,600 employees, of our total employee strength. The southern region constitutes about 45 per cent of the total employee strength, which is about 5,500 employees. Our operations in the region are being strengthened across all the businesses and will grow even more in the times ahead."

Apart from the manufacturing base for its automotive sector and servicing workshop for industrial turbines, Bangalore is a hub for telecom, medical and automotive software development and high-end R&D.

Schubert further added that Siemens' Indian operations are growing in stature and it has become the main resource hub and the centre of competence for high-frequency X-ray machines and outdoor vacuum circuit breakers respectively.

Siemens India is also ramping up its software service business out of Bangalore.

"We are putting up a new tower beside our existing facility in Electronic City which has a capacity to house 1,000 developers. This will be in addition to the 2,000 we already have here in Bangalore. This facility should be ready by April this year," a spokesperson for Siemens India added.

The software business generates close to Rs 650 crore, of which close to 16 per cent is from the Indian market.