I had the pleasure to talk to Mr Sandeep Kishore, EVP & Global Head, Sales & Practice, Engineering & R&D Services at HCL Technologies and based in California, at the NPD event in february 2012.

Mr Kishore had earlier this day held a speech were he among other argued for that R&D investments made in one economy is just NOT R&D into this economy – the economy is also a consumer, and exemplified by China, India and Argentina – ”Emerging economies grow due to consumption, not due to R&D”

Further Mr. Kishore gave his idea in focus areas:

1. Faster Product Launch & Acceleration
2. Build Platforms & Ecosystems
3. Disruptive Technologies
4. New Business Models
5. Local is key for being global
6. Leverage Partners (in all areas)

After the speech I asked Mr. Kishore about HCL business idea, how they do business and what they want to accomplish?
”We have a simple idea: we want to develop the best things to the best price, to our customers and we do ’everything’ in the product development process. Then our main strategy is to act local, therefore we have small offices or representatives at many markets. We, HCL, have a indian national heredity, and many of our employees are from India originally, but to make business you need to act local”, mr. Kishore argues.

So how do YOU compete with western or local companies? If we make a parallel and see how Huiwei acts competing with Ericsson and Nokia building infra structure for tele communication: Huiwei have lower prices, just as good techniques AND offer 500 civil engineers to makes ”necessary adjustments”.
”No, we don’t have the same strategy as Chinese companies, even if we comes from the ”new world” together with China, Brazil and some others. We know that if we invest in one economy and build a business there, this will economy will also be a consumer, and then can both they, and we, sell more.  We see the business in a wider perspective: if we as a business partner makes one economy more alive and vivid, this economy will be more alive and vivid, which makes us more alive and vivid! And when we act in many local markets, we broaden our business. 

What will happen in the future, i.e. how will the product development process (including all) work in the next 50 years?
”I believe it will be even more borderless and we will have more products faster at market etc. Today we have all kind of techniques that help us more efficient and this evolution will continue.”

But what about the environment then? We need to strengthen this area – a lot! I mean that we in the western world ”judge” for example how you work in India. We all know that we can’t act like we do today (pollution etc), but how can we solve this?  How do you guaranty your customers that you do the right thing?
”Many and very important questions. First at all, we listen very careful to the customer and we deliver what they want . If they are not satisfied we do it again until the customer are pleased. If we don’t do a great work and not act according laws etc. the customers will not work with us. But we have very skilled and dedicated workers, who works many hours, and they do a perfect job at every local market.”

Thank you.

Here can you find some more information about mr. Sandeep Kishore and HCL.