I2 Technologies has set up a software development
operation in Beijing, according to an executive of the supplier of
supply chain management software.
The operation will primarily focus on the Chinese market, said
Pallab Chatterjee, i2 president for solutions operations.
"We will support from this centre customers in Greater China
where the local language and script requires different kinds of
software outputs," he said.
The centre will also work on applications for customers in China
around i2's composite application development framework, he said.
The composite application development framework and tool box
enables users to develop applications on top of existing
multi-vendor applications, using a master data model.
"The reason why we are doing this development work in China is
that all of these composite applications require UI [user
interface] work in the local language," Chatterjee said.
I2 started the Beijing operation with about 10 people. "We are
looking for staff with master's [degrees] in computer sciences, and
we are able to get them, but not as many as we can get in India,"
Chatterjee said. I2 plans to employ about 100 staff at the
development center in China.
More than 80% of i2's revenue in China currently comes from the
local operations of multinational companies, according to
Chatterjee. The small and medium-sized business segment in China
has proven to be tougher to crack.
"Small and medium businesses [in China] just don't feel that
they need to spend on IT," he said. "A few of them will buy local
brand ERP software for something like $25,000 [£13,800]. Most other
local companies work out of a [Microsoft] Excel spreadsheet."
Although i2 considered aggressively low pricing for that
business segment, the market is not "culturally ready" for it,
Chatterjee said.
"We have really not seen that much demand for any kind of supply
chain management software from the smaller tier companies,"
Chatterjee said.
However, when these companies get bigger, or consider entering
the export market, and competing on a global scale, they start
looking for software of the type sold by i2, Chatterjee said.
"There are a few Chinese companies that have revenues of about
$1.5bn to $2bn that are our customers," he said. Chatterjee added
that companies linked to multinationals as suppliers may show some
interest in supply chain management software.
Even as i2 expands Chinese development operations, India will
continue to be the company's main development location in Asia, he
said.
I2 employs about 1,100 of its worldwide staff of about 2,400 at
its operations in Bangalore and Mumbai in India. The company moved
a significant part of its product development, consulting, customer
support, sales and marketing to its Indian operations.
"In product development we would like to keep 60% in India and
40% in the US," Chatterjee said. "In consulting we would like to
take it up to 70% from India and 30% out of the US. It is 50% from
the US, and 50% from India right now."
With new deals in the pipeline, and as it rolls out its new
composite application development framework technology, i2 expects
to hire both in India and the US, Chatterjee added.
John Ribeiro writes for IDG News Service