Posted on 01/30/2006 7:24:12 AM PST by Fawn
Computer maker Dell Inc. said Monday it planned to add 5,000 jobs in India over the next two years, bringing its work force in the country to 15,000.
"Dell is also looking to set up a manufacturing center in India, a move that could help boost the sale of Dell computers here, President and CEO Kevin Rollins told reporters after a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The Round Rock, Texas-based company will hire 700 to 1,000 workers for a new call center in Gurgaon, a satellite town of the capital, New Delhi, Rollins said. The new call center, the company's fourth in India, will open in April, he said.
The other new hires will staff call centers in the cities of Bangalore and Hyderabad in southern India and Mohali in the northern state of Punjab. Also this year, the company plans to double the staff at its product testing center in Bangalore, which currently employs 300 engineers, Rollins said.
During his previous visit to India in April last year, Rollins had said Dell would make India a hub for its software development and back-office work.
Currently, the company has three call centers in India, a product testing center for corporate customers and a global software development center. Some 10,000 people are employed at these facilities.
Scores of Western companies have been cutting costs by shifting software development, engineering design and routine office functions to countries such as India, where English-speaking workers are plentiful and wages are low.
But Rollins said his company's expansion plans were not limited to tapping the talent, but also benefit from the growing demand for desktop computers and notebooks.
Dell accounts for less than 4 percent of the 4 million computers sold in India, whereas the company's share in the global market is about 18 percent, he said.
Taxes levied by the Indian government on computers and computer parts are a major factor affecting pricing of Dell products and their sluggish sales here.
A manufacturing facility could help the company boost its presence in India, where computer sales are expected to increase to 10 million annually over the next three to five years.
"We have come to the conclusion that time is ripe to consider a manufacturing facility in India," Rollins said. "We want to do it fast," he said, but gave no time frame or investment details.
He said the company was talking to local authorities in several Indian states to identify a site and a decision will be made soon.
Dell currently operates nine plants, six of them outside the United States.
Only when a new Super Walmart opens.....
Dell's "employment policy" only exists because of conscious decisions made on trade policy - which is a legitimate function of government. The same applies to the myriad of US companies offshoring jobs to China.
Because I don't have alot of money. And I couldn't rip people off....you have to be able to do that without blinking your eye.
the state of NJ hired 8000 people over the last 4 years - in a state with zero population growth.
I seem to recall somewhere that Dell Computer founder Michael Dell was a prominent Dem contributor. I wonder what all his union buddies think of this move?
A good friend of mine and her husband are movinfg to India for 3-5 yrears. He will be a manager of a Europena manufacturing facility. Quite frankly the town they are going to is quite glad to have Americans coming to live there. They had a wonderful party for her huisband when he went there for his initial visit. It seems Americans seldom go ther to live and all they have mostly had Europens. They view my friend's husband as a coup.
So Business Owners exist to "rip people off?"
And, why do you choose to work for someone who rips peopleoff?
My wifes's computer (a 3 month old Dell Dimesnion) had a hard-drive crash 2 weeks ago. I had the thing set up with two drives, mirrored. The OS got trashed on the mirror so we had to reinstall, but were able to save the data on the second drive.
Despite having the optional on-site service contract, it took a week to get the replacement drive. Then, as it turned out, the Operating System CD's that shipped with the machine were wrong, so I had to wait for new ones from Dell (theirs had specific USB keyboard drivers needed to get through the install).
I sent a letter to m.dell@dell.com and low and behold, I started getting called left and right. "We understand that you complained to Michael Dell... what can we do to make it right?". They sent us a nice little all-in-one photo printer for our troubles.
YOu missed my point. I said you have to be able to have that kind of heart...or personality.
WOw--what did they do ...build two super walmarts last year?
Businesses exist to make money for their owners.
Bottom line, if one doesn't like it, they can shop or work elsewhere.
Yeah, those stories I hear every week about WalMart employees starving to death are very sad. With over 1 million employees in the US, the carnage is unimaginable. You weren't very good at math in school, were you?
no, just good old fashioned government bloat.
Do you work for Walmart? What do you do there?
After working at my pathetic job for over 5 years.....the government jobs are looking better and better.....I hate unions...but I sure could use a raise every year.
I have a family member who works at a call center. She travels about 40 miles r/t every day to and from the job. It is ridiculous, she is on the phone 100% of the time she is there, she could just as well do the job from home.
I understand a few very smart companies are now going to virtual call centers where the employees work from home. I think it is the wave of the future. We could significantly reduce our gasoline requirements if companies who could-would do this with the many jobs that really don't require on-site attendance.
Well said! Truly, working from home via PC is a most promising solution for many social, familial as well just plain logistic problems facing the the work force. Certainly, reducing commuting and its impact, wear and tear and time, is one very big plus.
Thanks! This is worth repeating:
"There is a company that supplies "homesource" workers for many U.S. companies ... Alpine Access ... http://www.alpineaccess.com "
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