Aron Ain, CEO of The Billion Dpllar Enterprise Kronos Inc., In Conversation with Pawan Chabra of B&E, Explaining how after US, UK and Mexico, His Company Plans to Create Waves in The Indian World of Workforce Automation
B&E: From delivering the world’s first microprocessor-based time clock in 1979, to inventing job applications, Kronos has forever been in the thick of R&D. In contrast, R&D in India has not really attracted dollars in thick, during the past. So don’t you see your choice of location in Asia as rather ironical?
AA: Things will change. And we are not leaving our destiny to chance. Today, we already have a certain set of employees who are developing products in India When we double that workforce in the next couple of years, there will obviously be more opportunities for the Indian subsidiary to produce more products, that can be sold and used globally. For the record, we already have about 200 people now as a part of our engineering and sales team in the Indian cities of Noida, Mumbai and Bangalore. We are looking at doubling this figure over the next 24 months. In short, I would say that the R&D activities in India are already gaining momentum and you will find many companies carrying out the bulk of their R&D activities from the Indian market in the times to come.
B&E: To talk about your success in India is easier said than done. The Indian market, given the culture, is more complex in nature, unlike markets like US and UK. Do you feel you will face bigger challenges when it comes to solving workforce-related issues in India?
AA: The challenges in India, in this regard, are almost similar to what we see in the other parts of the world. Anywhere, you are necessarily required to go to market and convince the client(s) about the importance of the product. For instance, had we not walked the Indian streets, the client base that we currently have in India would not be using our products as they would be unaware about us. More so, we are here, because the industries in India are growing at a very fast pace and workforce management is the need of the hour for many companies. The Indian workspace is unique and challenging, But it is an attractive one as well, as many people from different backgrounds, work very closely. We will therefore have to keep this kind of teamwork in mind while charting out our multimillion plans in India.
B&E: But you are betting on innovation to prove that workforce-oriented technology works wonders...
AA: It’s called the next-gen of workforce management solutions and should be an exciting experience that people will be drawn to use. We are investing more aggressively than ever before on innovation and new product development to prove that workforce management doesn’t actually have to be so hard.
AA: Things will change. And we are not leaving our destiny to chance. Today, we already have a certain set of employees who are developing products in India When we double that workforce in the next couple of years, there will obviously be more opportunities for the Indian subsidiary to produce more products, that can be sold and used globally. For the record, we already have about 200 people now as a part of our engineering and sales team in the Indian cities of Noida, Mumbai and Bangalore. We are looking at doubling this figure over the next 24 months. In short, I would say that the R&D activities in India are already gaining momentum and you will find many companies carrying out the bulk of their R&D activities from the Indian market in the times to come.
B&E: To talk about your success in India is easier said than done. The Indian market, given the culture, is more complex in nature, unlike markets like US and UK. Do you feel you will face bigger challenges when it comes to solving workforce-related issues in India?
AA: The challenges in India, in this regard, are almost similar to what we see in the other parts of the world. Anywhere, you are necessarily required to go to market and convince the client(s) about the importance of the product. For instance, had we not walked the Indian streets, the client base that we currently have in India would not be using our products as they would be unaware about us. More so, we are here, because the industries in India are growing at a very fast pace and workforce management is the need of the hour for many companies. The Indian workspace is unique and challenging, But it is an attractive one as well, as many people from different backgrounds, work very closely. We will therefore have to keep this kind of teamwork in mind while charting out our multimillion plans in India.
B&E: But you are betting on innovation to prove that workforce-oriented technology works wonders...
AA: It’s called the next-gen of workforce management solutions and should be an exciting experience that people will be drawn to use. We are investing more aggressively than ever before on innovation and new product development to prove that workforce management doesn’t actually have to be so hard.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
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