An Investment Expert

width="163" height="205">Thirty-eight-year-old SS Dogra is the IT Manager of Osram India

Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of Osram GmbH Germany (the lighting division of Siemens). Dogra is

regarded as an expert in software customization, evaluation, development and

implementation. A bachelor's degree in science with specialization in electronics

instrumentation, Dogra had started his career as a Management Trainee with Punjab National

Bank. So far out of his 17-year career, nearly two-third of the duration he has spent in

planning, managing, and supporting computerization activities in the financial sector.

That includes his assignment in the PNB branch automation pilot project, handling the

conversion of entire software of PNB to Unix-based system, upgradation of retail banking

software.

Currently, Dogra is looking after the IT functions

of both Osram India and Osram Surya (a joint venture company with Surya Roshni). In an

interview with Sharmila Chand, he spoke about the various aspects of IT at Osram.

Excerpts:

How prominent is Osram as an IT

user?



Osram worldwide uses SAP ERP for large subsidiaries. For other subsidiaries we use other
ERP/accounting packages like ACCPAC, SCALA, FACT etc. The company is a very active user of

IT and we have world wide connectivity. The corporate Internet site www.osram.com provides

exhaustive information about the company and its innovative products.

How critical is IT to your

organization?



IT is very critical to our business. All the business records, reporting, and
consolidation of business data with Osram Germany and finally with parent company,

Siemens, are done electronically. This has resulted in better and faster output and

greater efficiency and reliability. Also, IT has definitely helped us in marketing our

products through the Internet.

What is your hardware and software

platform?



In India, earlier our main platform was Banyan Vines. From this we have migrated to Novell
Intranetware. The applications are office productivity tools-Hyperion for reporting and

fact accounting package for financial accounting and sales/stocks maintenance.

Are you thinking of implementing an

ERP solution at the India office? face="Arial">



Yes, we are planning for implementing an ERP package. As mentioned earlier, we have SAP,
SCALA etc. as our corporate standards and we are currently planning toward implementing

SCALA for India. Hope-fully, it should be implemented by the end of this financial year.

Is there any particular area in IT

you are focussing these days?



We are having a close look at the possibilities offered by Internet for ecommerce. Since
Indian market is not yet matured to ecommerce, we are gearing ourselves in that direction.

How much do you spend on IT every

year?



About 1.5 percent of the turnover. Especially from 1994, we have been very particular in
spending on a need-basis technology. That means the total investment is coming to the tune

of a moderate Rs 50 lakh. The investments in IT have not been very heavy during the

current and last couple of years. We believe in opting for proven solutions which promote

the company's ability in furthering the business objectives rather than investing in

technology just for the sake of technology.

What are your future plans? color="#000000" size="2" face="Arial">



We plan to have integrated sales and accounting data in the near future. This may involve
investments toward hardware and software in the region of Rs 1 to 1.5 crore depending on

the solution chosen and its implementation.