Under the agrement, Rolta will customise and provide support services to PTC clients in India. The company has also set up a 10-member team initially to provide the services. PTC has large clients in the country including Telco and BPL and now plans to enter middle and lower segments of the industry to launch its series of mechanical automation solutions.

According to PTC regional director, south Asia and India, Anurag Srivastava, the use of CAD/CAM has been spreading to smaller organisations and PTC seeks to cash in on this opportunity. PTC continues to look after its major clients while the new customers will be supported by partners like Rolta. ``We need partners with large infrastructure to look after customers' needs and help them maximise producivity and efficiency,'' he said.

PTC has identified India and countries in the south-Pacific Rim as areas with tremendous growth potential. The company has been relying on partners in each country to provide efficient support, says PTC senior vice-president of Asia Pacific, Chris Reisig.

Rolta has been operating in CAD/CAM since its inception. The company had a turnover of Rs 121 crore with a net profit of Rs 41.90 crore for calendar 1998. PTC is a billion dollar company with operations in 31 countries. It provides software tools to automate the mechanical product development process.

PTC is planning to target government agencies, defence department and public sector undertakings besides automotive, aerospace, heavy engineering, electronics and consumer goods to sell its products. Major products include pro/engineer and the recently acquired Windchill. The company operates in India through its offices in metros.

PTC has added around five new products through acquisitions totalling around $400 million. These have widened the portfolio, making PTC a one stop shop for mechanical design automation solutions, says Srivastava. He added that the company will launch all these solutions in India with the necessary customisation.

Rolta, on its part, has set up engineering and software centres in Mumbai to support projects. The company also plans to launch its Internet services in Mumbai.