Kanbay targets $100 m. in 2001

Nanda Kasabe

PUNE: Kanbay International plans to become a $100-million company by 2001. And Bob Meagher, president and CEO responsible for managing Kanbay's

global consulting services, firmly believes that that this could be achieved

through ‘follow the sun' development process besides an entire gamut of

strategic alliances which would reflect on the company bottomline. Even as the

current revenue figures stand at $44 million, Meagher says that the task ahead

would not be very difficult.

What he means is that the team at Kanbay's various offices work hand in hand

round the clock to ensure that the projects are completed well before the

stipulated time. This means faster deliveries and a satisfied customer in the

long run. On the agenda is a major expansion plan at the Talawade earth station

in Pune where Kanbay's Indian operations have acquired an additional 20,000 sq.

feet across the street. This would amount to a passenger add of another 1,000

plus software professionals from the existing 400 odd people here. Around Rs

16.5 crore have already been earmarked for the first phase of development here.

Funds for the second phase are yet to be decided. Work is likely to be completed

by March 2002.

Kanbay's strategic alliance with Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co., a

leading financial services company, is yet another step in this direction.

Meagher says that the partnership would help them to create a global e-business

and software development delivery organization. The venture is expected to

provide Morgan Stanley Dean Witter with a new pipeline of e-business and

software development resources accessible across the globe.

Bob Meagher, who was in Pune to visit the Talawade operations recently,

believes that strategic alliances would catapult Kanbay to the forefront and

bring in faster revenues. "The Kanbay Global Link process allows us to

bring companies world class resources from anywhere in the world on a 24x7

basis, thus providing for rapid development of solutions. For the business

partners, GlobalLink means reduced time to market, migration from legacy to Web

integration technologies, access to global technology resources and cost

effective delivery. To provide Morgan Stanley immediate access to its global

delivery solutions, Kanbay is opening a Manhattan based Accelerated Solutions

Center.

Kanbay is the total global e-Enterprise integrator that enables organizations

transform to a total e-business model. The company services cover the entire

gamut of strategy design and application services required to create

comprehensive e-enterprises in the key areas of telecom, insurance and financial

services, technology and manufacturing, retail and distribution.

The company is now looking at acquisitions for growth. Talks are currently on

with a company in North Europe where the company is hoping to build a presence

to tap the financial services sector. "We are currently in the process of

identifying a partner who would match with the Kanbay culture," Meagher

asserted.

Kanbay also has an alliance with Household Finance, a US based company to

help companies convert their process to Web-enabled solutions. A strategic

alliance is also likely with IBM to focus on the e-solutions center.

Meagher disclosed that the company would be going in for an IPO in the second

quarter of the fiscal 2001, to fund its organic growth. "The funds from the

IPO would chiefly be utilized in building infrastructure, earmarking funds for

acquisition and increasing management capacity," he explained.