Wipro eyes alliances, acquisitions in Japan; plans expansion in China

Mumbai: India's No.3 software services exporter, Wipo Ltd, is planning alliances with Japanese firms in its bid to expand its share in the market there. Wipro said it is weighing plans to tie up with Japanese firms and may also consider acquisitions in that country.

Wipro said it will announce an alliance in Japan next month but declined to give further details.

The software service industry in Japan is dominated by firms such as NTT Data Corp and NEC Corp, which have strong ties with the manufacturing and service sectors in Japan, including banks and the postal system.

The Japanese competitors themselves - NEC, NTT Data -usually join forces to pull together to complete a project.

This leaves little leeway for foreign firms to win any major orders in Japan.

"We have been very successful at acquisitions in the last two years. So we are still open to a similar one in Japan, provided that it will fit our strategic interests," Wipro's chief operating officer AL Rao said.