CHENNAI, September 7: Chennai-based Pentafour Communication Limited (PCL)
is negotiating with Washington-based Engineering Systems and Solutions (ESS)
to strike an alliance for setting up a development center in Chennai. This
center will focus on instrumentation process control and embedded system
technologies. Although the alliance is still in its nascent stages, a
50:50 joint venture, is being planned by both the companies. While PCL has
been offering training in instrumentation process control and embedded
systems in Chennai since November `98, ESS specializes in SCADA, an
instrumentation training package.
The tie-up looks forward to bagging instrumentation process control
projects from the American and European markets. While PCL plans to
provide the technical skills and infrastructure, ESS will handle the
marketing of the services in the overseas market. An investment of Rs 40
lakh to 50 lakh has been allocated for the infrastructural set up by the
company.
PCL has already invested approximately Rs 60 lakh in systems and
products needed for the technologies. An additional Rs 15 lakh to 20 lakh
is to be made by the company over a period of six months in the same. The
company has acquired Intel and Motorola chips and PSOS and RTX 51
operating systems for development and training purposes.
The company currently offers Instrumentation Software Application (ISA)
and Embedded Software Application (ESA) in Chennai only. It is negotiating
with business partners to offer similar training in Bangalore, Hyderabad
and Pune. The course fee is Rs 45,000 for the 45 days training program.
The company has so far trained about 68 professionals and this is expected
to increase to an additional 100 professionals by the year end.
The company has also developed a simulation package for BHEL training
in instrumentation process control in a CD-ROM recently. The company is in
talks with the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) to address the
tannery industry process control needs and with Tafe for its machine
manufacturing units. The food processing industries are also a part of the
company's target. The market size is estimated at about Rs 300 crore and
the company has targeted Rs 60 lakh in revenue in the first year of
operations by the company.