TCS to set up customer experience centres globally
The Financial Express — December 13, 2006

TCS plans to showcase its expertise in multiple domains by establishing customer experience centres in a number of locations across the globe. "These showcases would initially be established at the 18 innovation labs that have been set up by TCS across the globe and would later be taken to other customer locations offering a complete experience of the domain expertise. For instance, the Chennai innovation lab that focuses on airline technology has a showcase that looks like an aircraft," K Anantha Krishnan, chief technology officer (CTO) TCS said.

The company has already set up five such centres. "Around 4 per cent of the total TCS revenues are spent on R&D. Tata Research Development and Design Centre (TRDDC) will remain the apex innovation lab within the group. It has spawned two new business lines in engineering services and the products business for TCS. We are now looking at taking this innovation story to the next level through strategic alliances with start-ups and showcase technologies for customers," Krishnan said. Krishnan said that the 19th innovation lab focusing on networking and large data-related work would become operational by March 2007.

"TCS is also looking at setting up innovation laboratories in banking technologies, insurance and government. TCS is already doing some work in these areas and will evolve a structural framework," he said. Globally, TCS has 3,000 people who work on the innovation effort and 500 people who focus on core R&D. On the alliances with start-ups, Krishnan said that the company had screened over 400 start-ups and was running pilots with a few of them. "TCS has 10 active alliances with start-ups. We are beginning to see this as a major value addition since these companies bring in more innovation and new customers," he said.

TCS is working with start-ups in IT services, infrastructure management, process management, engineering services and consulting," he said. TCS has set 18 innovation labs globally that focus on 11 domains including retail, automotive, airline and financial services technologies as part of its Innovation 2.0 initiative.