Satyam Computer Services has announced plans to increase the scope of its operations in Malaysia.

The company will reportedly add a sprawling 14-acre complex to the Global Solutions Centre campus in Cyberjaya. Pavan Mullapudi of Satyam explained that the demand for customer service will continue despite the economic slowdown.

"We have 500 people working at the centre now. The additions to the complex will include 2,000 more staff, mostly developers," said the optimistic VP of Satyam's Global Solutions Centre.

According to Mullapudi, Malaysia boasts some of the best software talent in Southeast Asia. "There are some gaps in communication skills but the technical know-how is there," he said. 

As IT Examiner previously reported, Satyam has dramatically reduced the number of new employees it plans to hire.

The company now expects to recruit 8,000-10,000 workers, rather than the previously announced figure of 14,000-15,000. The revised recruiting scheme is reportedly linked to a projected decrease in volumes and a potential financial loss due to adverse cross currency movements.

Satyam could also encounter difficulty drumming up business in the depressed consulting and enterprise markets, which generate approximately 44 per cent of the company's revenue.

Nevertheless, the firm has managed to defy the global economic downturn by reporting a major increase in profits. Net income rose to Rs 5.81 billion ($119 million), or Rs 8.63 per share, in the three months ending 30 September, from Rs 4.09 billion, or Rs 6.12 per share.

The company's revised forecast earnings are now set at Rs 33.57 to 34.10 a share for the year ending 31 March, altering a July projection of Rs 31.83 to Rs 32.35 a share. The company has also declared an interim dividend of Rs 1 per share (50 per cent on par value of Rs 2 per share) with 1 November fixed as the record date.  X

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