Udupi-based software firm riding high

This is an example of how a software company is riding high on success, even though it is located far from the country’s IT hub, Bangalore. It has little support from the state government.

Udupi-based Robosoft Technologies, a provider of outsourced product development services, has announced a Rs 10 crore expansion plan, backed by strong client demand.

This announcement comes at a time when the government is hardselling smaller cities in the state in the wake of growing infrastructure woes that have been plaguing IT companies located in the state capital.

The company, whose clientele includes biggies like Apple Computer, Hewlett Packard, Canon and UMAX, is celebrating its 10th year of its existence by setting up its own global corporate campus at Santhekatte on NH 17, near Udupi.

The funds to be invested in this project had been arranged through internal accruals and bank loans, Robosoft’s top officials informed the media here on Monday.

The new corporate office will have three circular shaped structures consisting of a basement, ground floor and five upper floors with a total area of about 1 lakh sq ft.

Each of these buildings will be capable of accommodating 800 employees and one of these structures was expected to be completed by May this year, said Rohith Bhat, managing director and CEO of Robosoft Technologies.

He said the initial investment in the project had been pegged at Rs 10 crore. The new campus among others would have facilities like gymnasium, tennis court, jogging track, cafeteria, ATM kiosk, conference hall, auditorium, video conferencing and a guesthouse, he said.

About the infrastructure facilities in Udupi, he said since it was a small place, traffic was not a big issue although the condition of roads was bad since a lot of repair works are going on.

However, he said, “We seriously need an international quality airport with night landing facility since global clients visiting our campus are facing lot of difficulty to reach us. Most of them presently preferred to stay in Bangalore and it took at least two days for them to reach Udupi by road.”

Robosoft, which had clocked a turnover of Rs 12 crore last fiscal, currently employs 250 professionals having strong domain expertise. Purushotham R Bhat, director (facilities & infrastructure), Robosoft said by the end of the fiscal, the company was planning to recruit at least another 500 engineers, mostly through campus interviews.

About the availability of manpower, he said Udupi was one among the few places in the state having a high literacy rate and high concentration of technical institutions. “It’s our commitment to give preference to local talents although merit is the main criteria for their selection. This is evident from the fact that most of our engineers are from Dakshina Kannada district,” he added.

He said that apart from product development and services, the company also offers testing and quality assurance and enterprise applications services to its clients. Bhat said “our vision is made in Udupi and made for the world”.