Applied Materials plans to step up presence in India

US-based Applied Materials, a supplier of equipment and services to the global semiconductor industry, sees good potential in its Indian operations and is therefore likely to expand further in the coming years.

The billion-dollar engineering company has been in India since the last three years and has recently set up a new facility in Bangalore.

Applied Materials currently operates in 70 locations in countries like the US, Europe, India, Israel, Japan and China.

Addressing the mediapersons, Mike Splinter, president and chief executive officer of Applied Materials, said, "In the last few years, we have been working with a few Indian companies like Satyam, TCS and Wipro. We have around 700 people working for us, which include both our own employees and the employees of our partners."

"As we will expand our operations, we will also continue to grow on our resources front in the next few years," he added.

Applied Materials set up its office in India with a focus on product development, information technology and back-office support. Initially, it started with low-end technology but now it also indulges in high-end 90-nanometer technology at its Bangalore centre.

"India has a significant advantage in this area as it has a large intellectual community, strong currency, protection of intellectual property and government support in the form of duty-free zones and reduced taxes," Splinter said.

Speaking on the semiconductor industry in general, he added, "The semi-conductor industry looks pretty good now and we are bullish about it. We expect a modest growth this year."