The Netherlands-based Baan Company, a leading enterprise resource planning (ERP) package vendor, has announced plans to invest $16 million in setting up a Baan Technology Park in Hyderabad. The infrastructure for the technology park would be in place within two years. The campus would become the main hub for worldwide software development, focusing on resource and product development.

According to Baan, the investment made so far in developing the manpower at the facility in Hyderabad for product development purposes has been a success. Hence, the decision to expand its facilities. The company wants to make Hyderabad the main hub for its development activities in India.

Interlink, a London-based Funds Switching Technologies Ltd., is planning to establish a subsidiary in India. Meanwhile, it has incorporated Funds Switching Technologies (India) Pvt. Ltd, based at Bangalore, to focus on sales and support. The Indian subsidiary too would be located in Bangalore and, if necessary, an office would be opened at Mumbai. Eventually, the subsidiary would look for support in the neighbouring countries too.

Tata Consultancy Services is to commission its new software Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the biggest software company in India, is to commission its Rs. 30 crores ($9 million) software development centre (SDC) coming up at Sholinganallur, near Chennai, by the end of 1997. Work on this project started in June 1996.

This new 160,000 sq. ft. centre will be the largest of TCS's software development facilities. It will have a capacity to house about 1,200 software professionals and will have the latest communication facilities. The unique feature of this facility is that there will be separate work blocks of about 50 professionals for each client. This will ensure total confidentiality of clients' information . TCS which presently employs 2, 200 professionals will add another 800 by June 1998.

IBM World Trade Corporation, the overseas investment arm of the $79 billion IBM Corporation, has received the clearance from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) under the Ministry of Industry, Government of India, to set up a software development unit in Bangalore. IBM has a global policy of having dedicated companies for its services division.

IBM World Trade will pick up an equity stake of 80% in the venture at an initial investment of Rs. 72 crores ($20 million) over a period of 5 years. The proposal includes an export obligation of Rs. 806.4 crores ($ 230 million) during the same time - frame.

SaveSmart Inc., the US-based company providing electronic commerce services on the Internet, has announced the setting up of its software development centre in Bangalore at an estimated cost of $3 million over the next two years. The India Development Centre is an extension of SaveSmart's Silicon valley-based R&D facility.

A pilot project for the new electronic commerce service to be offered in India has been successfully completed and is expected to start in August 1997. The India Development Centre will develop products for today's hot areas : Internet and web technologies and relational databases. The software work will be predominantly product-oriented.