Two IT companies – IT Offshore and Grafi Offshore – established as joint ventures of Nepali and European investors have been putting their entire focus in the Netherlands and Belgium. These companies have production houses in Nepal and sales offices in Belgium and the Netherlands.

These companies specializing in software and graphic design, established by a Nepali investor in 2003 with just six IT professionals, have scaled new heights today. Fifty percent stake in IT Offshore is owned by HWB IT Services b.v.b.a of Belgium, whereas Grafi Offshore b.v. of the Netherlands owns 50 percent stake in Grafi Offshore.

Upendra Shrestha, managing director of both the companies, said they have now taken over graphic display works in all the train stations in Belgium and the Netherlands.

“We design graphics for leading publication houses and web portals in Belgium and Netherlands. We have almost taken over all the graphics and animation works of two publication companies Water´s Nordoof and Vanin,” Shrestha added.

Not only these two companies, Roularta newspaper of Belgium and some other newspapers in Europe are completely dependent on Grafi Offshore for graphic works. On its software part, the companies have developed multiple portal handling application for some insurance companies in the Netherlands and Belgium using Masento and Joomla open source system.

Started in 2003 with just six IT professionals, the two companies today hire about 100 technical hands. Though many Indian outsourcing companies crumbled during economic recession last year, IT Offshore and Grafi Offshore managed to keep its position intact.

In 2010, the company plans to expand its expertise to 3-D touchscreen animation in mobile technology and graphic works in the Netherland´s motion pictures industry. “We are in the process of acquiring additional manpower by offering attractive incentives,” Shrestha informed. He also revealed plans to explore domestic market in 2010.

But finding experienced hands for the industry is not a cakewalk. “We can directly use only two percent of about 10,000 youths that graduate in engineering and applications every year. Others need internships and short term trainings to hone their skills,” Shrestha said. The two companies also hire about 15 new faces every 3-4 months and impart necessary trainings to prepare them for the industry.

“Training for freshers is also a form of investment and it has been our priority for the past many years,” Shrestha said, adding that they have been offering incentives like provident fund and medical facilities which are not offered by other IT companies in Nepal.

IT Offshore and Grafi Offshore outsource jobs worth about Rs 50 to 60 million every year from Belgium and the Netherlands alone.

Elaborating challenges in outsourcing industry, Shrestha said load-shedding has become one of the biggest challenges for them.

“We have to complete our jobs within a given time. We have no alternative but to go for alternative power source like generators. We spend Rs 1 million to Rs 1.5 million for fuel, generator and battery backups every year,” Shrestha added. He further added that IT industry in Nepal is vulnerable as it is yet to be institutionalized.

“Apart from load-shedding, investment of illegal money and lack of healthy environment are the other challenges in the industry,” he added.

Source:http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=18013