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Tete-a-Tete
Rich Ryan, President, Rockwell Software,
inaugurated his Indian subsidiary's first hi-tech centre in Bangalore. In
an interview with BT, he talked about how India could emerge as an
important centre for developing solutions for its clients worldwide.
 Q. Yet another global company has come
to India to source talent in the information technology. What is
different?
A. We are trying to leverage India's strength in the infotech sector
to enhance our offerings to our customers. With the Indian software
talent, we can do that. We are also seeking to develop new applications at
our Bangalore centre and this will help us expand our product range,
particularly for e-manufacturing. We will offer the Indian companies a
complete line of solutions for increasing manufacturing efficiencies on
the shop floor. This could be brought about in a variety of industries
like petrochemicals, textiles, pharmaceuticals, or mining.
Could you tell us something about these
products?
The e-manufacturing strategy offers seamless integration of production
processes and work order generation. These could be in the area of
architecture, implementation and integration process and other systems for
the manufacturing process. Typically, we plan to lay a technology roadmap
for Indian manufacturers by identifying the objectives and establishing a
timeline for the integration process. For this we will use our hardware
and software expertise to bridge the gap between the machines and
operator-driven devices, apart from providing human-machine interface
solutions.
What plans does Rockwell have apart from
the Bangalore centre?
Apart from developing a new suite of applications for the automation
market, I hope the Bangalore centre is able to meet the demands of our
global clients. Besides, the solutions we develop there will need
customisation to suit the individual needs of our customers. For that, we
will be tying up with various companies. After the automation programme's
launch, we will partner with our associates to develop complete solutions.
This will also help Rockwell shift from a company that focuses on the shop
floor space to the larger software space. I would like to see a
significant contribution of Indian professionals to the growing importance
of Rockwell Automation within the entire company.
So, would you be looking to acquire
companies as well?
Yes, we are actively considering acquisitions in India.
In what areas are you looking for
acquisitions?
We are looking for various companies in the niche technology
area---supply chain management could be one, since it integrates with our
e-manufacturing strategy. But I will not mention names.
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