The work primarily involves re-designing of ABB's existing engineering models using Pentafour's CAD tools, said S Srinivasan, director, PCL. The deal is not a one-time contract but a continuing one and hence, may fetch more revenues for the firm, he said. With this in view, the company was also negotiating some kind of joint venture with ABB on these lines, he added.

3CRC has also inked an agreement with Singapore-based Unigraphics to become the latter's business partner for the Asia-Pacific region, barring India. Unigraphics is a $700-million company specialising in CAD services. It already has representation in India through Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Hence, Unigraphics has authorised PCL to distribute and implement its product, I-MAN, in other Asia-Pacific regions.

I-MAN, referring to Information Manager, is a PDM (product data management) software that finds use in most high-end applications. PDM is a tool used for integrating ERP software with customer interface. The product finds greater use in engineering and related businesses.

To cater to this new line of business, PCL is setting up a centre at Singapore. The company is also training about a dozen people on the PDM software to take up its marketing. The full-fledged marketing of the product is expected to commence by the end of the third quarter of the current fiscal.

Further, with a view to fortifying its presence in the GIS (geographical information systems) arena, PCL plans to set up a business centre in Germany within a couple of months. The company has already got an order from a German firm called Vicom for offering CAD services. Germany being a Detroit of Europe, the market for CAD/GIS services is very high, said Srinivasan.

With orders worth about $3 million exclusively for the 3CRC division for the current fiscal, PCL has decided to relocate the division at an exclusive facility. The company has taken up about 15,000 sq.ft. of space in the heart of Chennai for this purpose. The division, which currently employs about 120 people, will be expanded to accomodate about 300 people by the end of December 2000.