Scope e-Knowledge bets big on KPO

Expecting knowledge-based outsourcing to become the 'next big opportunity', Scope e-Knowledge Centre Private Limited on Tuesday said that it would expand its global footprint and increase workforce.

"Knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) is the next big opportunity. More and more global corporations will be outsourcing processes like data and intellectual property research works. In view of this emerging opportunity, we have decided to enhance our global presence and also the manpower," Scope e-Knowledge director and CEO R Sivadas told PTI.

"We will double our manpower in London and Brussels, which is acting as a hub for the European market," he added.

The company would also increase its total manpower to 600 during the year from the current 400.

Scope is also in discussions with a few publishing firms in Germany and hopes to strike a deal in the next couple of months. It is already doing a project for a US company in Germany.

The revenue of the company is expected to be around $3.5 million by the end of this fiscal. "For the next fiscal, we target a revenue of $8 million. We hope to maintain a growth rate of 150 per cent in the next few years," he added.

Around 65 per cent of the revenue is expected to come from the US and 35 per cent from the UK.

The Chennai-based company, which has its presence in New York, London and Brussels, added 12 key clients in the last two years and the top three clients contribute about 65 per cent of the total revenue.

According to a report, KPO business is expected to reach $25 billion by 2010 from the current $1.3 billion.

Scope offers a web-enabled platform for outsourcing various knowledge processes like desk research, preparation of industry and market reports, company profiles, market research and data cleansing, validation and analysis.

Scope's database services, focussing on science, technology and medical (STM) and the business and commercial areas, contribute about 90 per cent of their revenue. "The total size of STM market is about $8 billion globally and outsourcing of STM services alone is expected to be about $1.3 billion," said Sivadas.

Scope is in the process of obtaining BS 7799 certificate system, given for protecting the confidential data of clients.

"Ramco System is helping us implement systems and processes and we hope to get the certificate in April," he said.