India’s biggest technology companies won’t see a rebound until mid-2010, according to S. Gopalkrishnan, Infosys CEO, the country’s second-largest provider of computer services. Infosys is predicting its first drop in annual revenue, gets 90 percent of sales from North American and European customers. Those companies are cutting spending as they cope with the global slump. Gopalakrishnan expects “flat” revenue growth for the industry this year.
Infosys is investing in emerging markets such as Latin America, China and the Middle East and wants to reduce its dependence on the developed markets. Infosys also wants to make acquisitions that build its presence in Europe, where the company gets about a quarter of sales. Wipro Ltd., India’s third-largest provider of software services, expects its Middle East business to grow 50 percent this year.
Infosys is renegotiating prices to attract clients. Spending will start when customers are convinced that there is a recovery. Right now the focus is on conserving cash and reducing expenses. Infosys is banking on growth from within India. The Indian government is increasing investment in technology, which creates more opportunity for the domestic computer-services market. The company plans to get as much as 5 percent of revenue from India, up from about 2 percent now.
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