This is a bold step from SAP, one of the largest software companies in the world. Soon there will be more development for SAP from India than Walldorf, Germany.
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=54db44e6-4175-40cf-8e57-64c6e9e8d074
SAP hiring 1,900 in Bangalore, as CEO says India is company’s software hub
S. Srinivasan
Canadian Press
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
BANGALORE, India (AP) - SAP AG, the world’s largest business software company, will invest $24 million US and hire 1,900 software programmers in India by end 2006, CEO Henning Kagermann said Tuesday.
“India is not only one of the fastest growing markets for us, but also a global hub for our software development,” Kagermann told reporters in the southern technology centre of Bangalore.
The company, based in Walldorf, Germany, already has a centre in Bangalore where it employs 1,100 people. SAP has just completed an investment of $24 million that was used to build a software campus in the city.
The new round of hiring will make Bangalore SAP’s largest development centre outside Germany, Kagermann said.
Companies use SAP’s and similar software to run offices and factories, manage inventories, keep employee details and track sales. SAP commands 31 per cent share in the global market for business software. It employs 30,000 people and has 23,400 customers worldwide.
Scores of companies in the United States and Europe farm out software development and other white collar work to countries such as India, where wage and real estate costs are lower. Indian firms earn $12.5 billion annually by providing such services.
“We are looking for the best talent globally and here is where we can ramp up talent quickly,” Kagermann said referring to the large pool of skilled workers in India.
Kagermann also said India would be one of the three fastest growing markets for SAP’s software. The company already has 650 customers and a 58 per cent market share in the country.