Its net profit for the year was Rs 14.10 crore while gross profit soared by 150 per cent to Rs 20.81 crore. Pentafour's turnover for 1998-99 stood at Rs 70.17 crore, up 71.3 per cent from the previous year.

The export for the year was to the tune of Rs 19.09 crore.

Pentafour Communications has two strategic business units, namely, education and training and system integration, which includes software, hardware, networking, implementation, customisation and maintenance for general software application, computer aided design, computer aided manufacture, communication and process control.

Pentafour has now expanded its operations in north India. The company has opened a Pentasoft centre of excellence here. The Delhi office will also focus on offering IT solution to companies in the northern region.

The company focuses on three kinds ofspecialized training; knowledge-based, skill-based and employment-based under the brand name, Pentasoft. It also offers corporate training to multinational companies.

In Delhi, the company will offer high-end training on IBM e-business solutions, mainframe, AS/400, multimedia, CAD/CAM, communication, networking and process control. In the areas of database and clien server, the company has recently launched Pentasoft power diploma programme.

The company has 10 training centres of excellence across the country. Similar centres have also been opened in Nepal, Bangladesh, Singapore and Sri Lanka. Training centres are shortly expected to be opened in West Asia and the US.

Pentafour Communications director K Srinivasan said the company expects to make a good growth on par with the industry by increasing its presence overseas and by increasing the franchise centers by 80 per cent. (UNI)

Debt-free after preferenatial issue

Pentafour Communications has become a debt-free company after repaying itsentire high-cost loan outstandings of Rs 28 crore via earnings from a preferential issue in March this year. The Chennai-based company alloted 30 lakh shares of Rs 10 each at Rs 160 per share to foreign institutional investors, overseas corporate bodies, mutual funds and other corporate bodies on March 27 this year.

``This Rs 48 crore issue has helped us in repaying our entire high-cost loan outstandings of Rs 28 crore and as of today, we are a debt-free company,'' chairman of Pentafour Communications Limited (PCL) V Chandrasekaran told in New Delhi on Friday.

After the allotment, the equity share capital of the company stands increased at Rs 8.10 crore against Rs 5.1 crore.

The security premium stands at Rs 43.93 crore as on March 31 this year, after writing-off the share issue expenses of Rs 1.07 crore, Chandrasekaran said.