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Aptech diversifies into software park building

Apart from venturing into specialised training activities like multimedia training, the company has also diversified into software distribution, consultancy and software exports.

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"The idea is to reduce dependence on one brand. By 2000, we want our non-training activities to contribute about 30 per cent of our revenues," Managing Director Ganesh Natarajan said.

At present, these account for a mere 8 per cent of Aptech's turnover.

As a first step, the company is setting up a software technology park in Bombay. The STP, being set up at an estimated Rs 20 million, will provide consultancy and export software based on the latest and emerging technologies.

According to the company, the STP would focus on client/server technology applications integrated with multimedia capabilities for the Internet and corporate intranets.

"Internationally, more and more corporate houses want their Internet servers to have multimedia capabilities like audio, video and graphics. So, there is a huge untapped market available for us," said Natarajan, adding that the company would not venture into regular software export business like body shopping.

In addition to the STP, Aptech has taken up distribution of software in the domestic market, which was until now handled by a group company, Hexaware.

While Hexaware decided to concentrate on the international market, Aptech will take over the domestic software distribution business.

The company has already forged alliances with leading international companies for the distribution of RDBMS packages of Oracle, Sybase, Informix, front end tools like Powerbuilder and enterprise resource planning packages like Baan.

Besides distribution, the company has also set up a division called the enterprise solutions group, which will look after the implementation of software in the country.

Aptech has also started a new consultancy division, which will provide consultancy to various Indian companies on business process re-engineering, total quality management and ISO 9001. "The consultancy division will focus on providing services to manufacturing companies which are increasingly realising the importance of information technology," said Natarajan.

Aptech, which grossed revenues of Rs 2.02 billion in 1997, hopes to clock a growth rate of 25 per cent per annum for the next three years to have revenues of Rs 3.5 billion by 2000.

While in the past it has been Aptech's core computer education division that fuelled its growth, even Natarajan admits that there is a certain amount of saturation in the market and to sustain the projected growth rates, other divisions would increasingly have to contribute more to the company's revenues.

- Compiled from the Indian media

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