Wipro Technologies

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Wipro Technologies is a global IT services company established in 1980 in India. It has 30 offices worldwide with 50,100 employees and over 300 customers across USA, Europe and Japan including 50 of the Fortune 500 companies. Some of its customers are Boeing, Cisco, Ericsson, IBM, Microsoft, Prudential, Seagate, Sony and Toshiba. It is listed at New York Stock Exchange and is part of its TMT (technology media telecom) index. In 1995, it received ISO 9001 quality certification. In 1997, Wipro received CMM level 3 certification from the Software Engineering Institute. In 1998, Wipro Technologies became the world's first CMMI level 5 certified software services company. Continuing this trend, in 2001, Wipro became the world's first PCMMI level 5 certified. In the same year, Business Today rated it as India's most valuable company. In June 2001, it was ranked among the top 100 best performing technology companies globally by Business Week. In November 2002, it was ranked among the top 10 software services companies in the world by Business Week.

Wipro Technologies, the Global IT Services division of Wipro Limited NYSE: [WIT] (incorporated 1946, in operation since 1945) is an India-based global IT services, IT solutions and technology services center. It has its headquarters in Bangalore, India and is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange, National Stock Exchange of India and the New York Stock Exchange. As of 2004, it was the 4th largest company in the world in terms of market capitalization in IT services.

With revenue in the excess of US $2 billion it makes Wipro one of India's major Information Technology companies. Wipro has 54 dedicated development centers across India, Europe, United States and also has 30 offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. In India, Wipro has operations in Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Gurgaon etc.

Azim Premji, Chairman and Managing Director of Wipro is said to have been responsible for expanding and diversifying this company from an FMCG company which made Vanaspati Oil, soaps and other consumer products into a IT services company as it is today.

Wipro, along with other Indian IT Services Companys like Infosys and TCS are spearheading India's booming Business Processing Outsourcing(BPO) sector.

Wipro Limited achieved a PCMM Level 5 and SEI CMM Level 5 certification as an IT Services Company in 1995.

History

Wipro was set up in the backdrop of the small town of Amalner in Maharashtra in 1945. Primarily an oil factory, the chief products were Sunflower Vanaspati and 787 laundry soap (a by-product of the Vanaspati operations). The company was called Western India Vegetable Products Limited, with a modest presence in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

In the 1970s Wipro embarked on an ambitious phase of expansion and diversification.

It was in the early eighties that Wipro made its foray into the Infotech arena. An energetic, committed team of professional R & D and marketing managers came together in Bangalore in 1980. Due credit should be given that most of these R & D computer professionals and marketing managers were dragged enmass from Electronics Corporation of India Limited Hyderabad, who were pioneer in research and development of indigenous first computer hardware, system software, telecom applications etc. Indeed Wipro, HCL, Indchem, Hinditron all should be indebted to ECIL for providing such a high calibre R and D managers, when experienced infotech manpower was not available in our country. With this began the Wipro Infotech story. In a small lab at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), the team developed the first Indian 8086 chip.

Timeline

Wipro Limited was incorporated in 1945 and commenced its operations in 1946. Significant milestones are:

1945: Incorporation of Western India Vegetable Products Limited.
1947: An oil mill and hydrogenated cooking medium plant set up.
1966: Azim Premji takes over the leadership of Wipro at the age of 21.
1975: Wipro Fluid Power set up to manufacture hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders.
1977: Name of the company changed to Wipro Products Limited.
1980: Information technology services for domestic market started.
1981: Hardware company is launched.
1982: Name of the company changed to Wipro Limited.
1984: Software products subsidiary - Wipro Systems Ltd. - established.
1985: Toilet soaps manufacture begins.
1988: Wipro BioMed, a new business unit to market and service bio-analytical and diagnostic instruments, is launched.
1989: Joint venture with GE of US for medical systems, Wipro GE Medical Systems Ltd.
1990: Product software business discontinued; software services begin.
1992: Lighting business and finance arm is established.
1994: Merger of subsidiaries Wipro Technologies Ltd. and Wipro Systems Ltd. with Wipro Ltd.
1998: Relaunch of Wipro identity with Rainbow Flower and positioning statement, "Applying Thought".
1999: Software business reaches SEI certification.
1999: Wipro Net set up by restructuring Wipro Ltd.'s communication services business to address the Internet market.
2000: Listing of Wipro Ltd.'s ADRs on New York Stock Exchange.
2000: Six Sigma initiative begun.
2001: Wipro becomes world's first PCMM Level 5 company.
2002: Wipro becomes CMMi.
2005: Wipro becomes a 2 billion $ company.

Wipro businesses

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