VISAKHAPATNAM: The IT companies were not just competing to access global customers but were also striving to attract talent to the industry which was poised to witness a phenomenal 1000-fold growth in two decades till 2011, founder and chairman of Satyam, one of the leading global consulting and IT services company, B. Ramalinga Raju said here on Thursday.

Twin objective

"It is with this endeavour we've come to Visakhapatnam," he said while addressing a media conference hours before the inauguration of Satyam development centre in the city by Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

As many as 18 engineering colleges existed in the vicinity of the city, he observed. "We'd like not only to attract the best talent, but also provide cost-effective services to customers," he added.

Mr. Raju acknowledged the tremendous support from the Government which allotted the 6.5-acre land at Resapuvanipalem abutting the national highway a couple of years ago as also land on the outskirts for establishing a SEZ.

The Vizag Center, the second Satyam facility in the State apart from Hyderabad, would employ about 750 associates during the first phase and 1,300 in the second phase. The professionals would deliver a broad range of services led by information technology and business process outsourcing for customers abroad.

Replying to questions, he said that the investment so far was to the tune of Rs.55 crores.

Two more blocks were expected to be built at a cost of another Rs.80 crores. A million square feet would be built at the SEZ, which would also be a knowledge centre and learning centre.

Massive workforce

Nearly 40,000, including 7,000 to 8,000 people overseas, were serving many major global companies in 55 countries, he said.

This year, there were plans to add 15,000 more employees. Though the country had two million graduates and 5,00,000 engineers, less than 15 per cent of them formed the workforce in delivering services in global companies, he said.

Chief Financial Officer of Satyam Srinivas Vadlamani, who was also present, said that right now 60 people were working in Vizag for the last two months, serving their largest customer, GE of US. "We went to campuses last year and visited 18 colleges. We selected 400 out of whom 200 joined us," he disclosed.

Attrition rate

On the rate of attrition, he said it was 13.2 per cent and efforts were on to bring it down further. The company was adjudged the best employer by many agencies in the country, he pointed out.

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