Unisys India expects 4500 employees

BANGALORE: Unisys Corporation has announced plans to increase its India headcount from the current 1,150 to 2,000 employees by this year-end. The company's current headcount includes both its own captive staff (around 150) and around 1,000 employees of its Indian partners such as Caritor, NIIT, Tata Infotech and Hexaware.






According to the company's chairman Lawrence A Weinbach, "In around two to three years, we will double the headcount again and will also continue engagements with our Indian partners." By 2008, he expects to have a workforce of 4,500 employees in India, of which roughly 3,000 would be Unisys employees while partners would make up for the rest.





Last year, Unisys had announced its intention to invest around $180 million in India following which it opened its global services center in Bangalore in January 2005, which can seat 1,000 employees. "However, based on the current expansion forecasts, we would be revising our proposed investment upwards," said Unisys Global Sourcing VP Cal Killen.





The company's center in Bangalore works on software development and maintenance, technical help desk, IT outsourcing and BPO. Weinbach said that the company would continue to be actively involved with partners, which gives it good flexibility with regards to handling projects. Citing the advantages of Unisys' multi-shore strategy, he added that the company has been able to add new business capabilities like the recently set-up 70-member strong technical help desk in Bangalore.





When quizzed on alternative offshore locations that the company is exploring, Killen said that the company already had established its presence in Philippines, Malaysia and China and is also trying to zero in on a suitable location in Eastern Europe.