Newgen charts out BPO plans

By Venkatachari Jagannathan | 03 Dec 2003

Chennai: New Delhi-based Newgen Software Technologies is to get into workflow solutions for the banking and business process outsourcing (BPO) sector. The company is already a leader in document management, business process management and imaging solutions.

"We have made the product in Unicode so that the same is suitable for all Indian languages. Currently it is in Hindi and Marathi. The product is ready for pilot projects to be done in southern languages," says A Venkatraman, business head.

The Rs 35-crore turnover Newgen, with a 400-plus strong team of engineers, has three software development centres — two located in New Delhi and one in Chennai. It has five offices in India with a 100-per cent subsidiary in the US along with presence across the globe through a network of resellers. The company has Citibank Venture Capital as the venture partner with an 18-per cent stake in the company.

Speaking about the company''s forays into the government sector, Venkatraman says the response is good. "Earlier IT adoption in the government was not on priority list. But today it is." The central government has zeroed in on four infotech companies to help make its ''less paper office'' initiative a success.

Newgen, along with Adobe Systems India (the lead partner), Hyderabad-based DSR Solutions and IBM India (Rational Software Group) are working with the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances and the Department of Information Technology in developing and implementing a product that suits the government''s ''less paper office'' initiative. Newgen is implementing their document management tools and workflow solution in this initiative.

The company is also expanding its overseas operations. It has signed an alliance with the US-based Navigant Consulting to sell its products there. In Japan, Newgen has signed a deal to localise its products and sell there with Toyo Ink Manufacturing Company. According to the deal Toyo will convert Newgen''s software into Japanese language.

"We hope to close this fiscal with a turnover of Rs 40 crore," says an optimistic Venkatraman.