Partner Article

North East attracts further Indian technology

Business talents from the North East have attracted an Indian software firm looking to expand their European presence.

The company is joining a growing number of Indian firms moving into the North East.

5th Generation Technologies (5G), based in Chennai, produces business intelligence tools for manufacturing and retail firms.

It is to move to Sunderland’s Software City, creating 25 jobs, after receiving a £200,000 business investment grant from One North East, part funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

The company plans to use Sunderland as its European base and is keen to export the software it develops in the North-East into new markets across the continent.

Sunderland Software City was created to encourage the growth of the region’s software industry and provides firms with support for marketing, business development and sales as well as access to HR, legal and accountancy services to help them get established.

There are now 15 Indian companies in the North East, including businesses such as Shasun, MSSL, Nicholas Piramal and Tech Mahindra, which employ more than 1,500 people in the region.

Dr Ananth Seshan, chairman and managing director of 5G, said: “When One North East contacted us, it was quite timely in that we were looking at various options to start our operations in the UK and expand our European footprint.

“We were attracted to the native talent pool that was available in the North East.

“This included five top-class engineering schools, a worldclass infrastructure that was second to none, and the overall lower cost of operations in comparison to the other places we had shortlisted.”

Alan Clarke, chief executive at One North East, added: “The investment by 5G will hopefully act as a catalyst for further Indian software firms to establish their business in the region.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .