Himalaya Computech to launch PC brand

Itanagar-based Himalaya Computech has announced plans to setup its
hardware-manufacturing unit in Pondicherry and launch its own PC range. The
company is aiming to launch its PC by the end of 2009. To start with, the
manufacturing unit will have the capacity to produce around 1,500 PCs per month.
“This is a very ambitious project for us and we are taking every care to make it
a success,” said Vikas Jain, CEO, Himalaya Computech. Himalaya is talking to
Intel and Microsoft for their direct licensing. “Channel will definitely play a
vital role to sell our products. Having our own brand of PC will help in the
turnkey projects. We are also planning to setup our own service infrastructure.
Service is another lucrative domain and we are targeting to encash on the
possibilities,” he informed. In time, Himalaya plans to market its PC range in
countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, etc, which according to Jain are very
big markets.

The company is purchasing land from the Pondicherry government to setup its
forthcoming plant. Although Jain refused to disclose any exact figures, since
the project was still at an early stage, he mentioned that it was a huge
investment.

Himalaya Computech started its journey in 2000 as a box-pusher and partnered
with IBM. Gradually the company went on to include a gamut of hardware products
to its portfolio and partnered with all leading brands as well as software
vendors like Microsoft and Oracle. “As business expanded we started to bag big
deals in the northeast catering to the government, SME and education sectors,”
said Jain. In 2003 the company extended its operation beyond Arunachal Pradesh,
to places like Mizoram, Nagaland, Assam and Meghalaya, and covered almost the
entire region.

Later, the company shifted its focus to the government, education and SME
segments from the channel. Subsequently, Himalaya also started developing
software and focused on various e-governance projects in the northeast. “Now our
complete focus is in these segments. Starting from system integration we provide
various solutions like networking, security, etc as well as maintenance support
to our clients,” informed Jain. Exploring opportunities beyond northeast, the
company has opened a branch in Pondicherry, while its Kolkata branch will be
operational in the next couple of months.

Himalaya has also partnered with Electronics Corporation of India Ltd and
Bharat Electrical Ltd to market their surveillance related products.
“Surveillance is an unexplored area with huge potential, especially in
northeast, and we are the only partner to have a good focus on this segment,”
said Jain.