Most Promising Solution Provider Syntech Infomatics

All
the panelists unanimously voted Kolkata-based Syntech Infomatics as the 'Most
Promising Solution Partner'. This could be because it registered a revenue
growth of over 350% from it meager revenue of Rs 8 crore in 2002-03 to Rs 36
crore, becoming the fastest growing company in the DQCI Silver Club of Solution
Providers.

Last year, the company implemented several lucrative projects. One of them
was a West Bengal school deployment under the School Literacy Mission where 200
schools were computerized with 10,000 PCs across various districts of West
Bengal. The project was valued at Rs 8 crore. Syntech also computerized 493
police stations across the state for a project costing Rs 4.5 crore.

Syntech's key strength lies in its service offerings, which include
extended warranty support and AMC, besides offering networking, security,
backup, mail and messaging. The company has a specialized support staff of 30
and invested Rs 2.5 lakh in the OND quarter of 2005.

The company has multi-faceted business propositions which includes providing
hardware, software and services. It also provides training to educational
institutions. In the solutions space, Syntech's strength lies in security and
networking.

Syntech is a premium partner for IBM, Samsung and LG Electronics. It also
does a bulk of business with distributors like Redington India, Ingram Micro,
Tech Pacific, Iris, SES Technologies and Savex.

Syntech has already realized the benefits of training its employees and
getting them certified on several levels. Of the 160 people working in the
company, 30 have already been certified and the company hopes to double this.
Constant training will also help keep the 3% attrition rate in check.

The solution company has currently got 110 accounts in hand of which 24 were
added in 2003-04. While most channel companies upscale themselves from
assembling to solution providing. But Syntech is doing it the other way around.
The company will soon introduce the Syntech brand of PCs, laptop, MP3 players,
USB flash drives, UPS, plasma TVs and air conditioners. Though this sounds like
an ambitious undertaking, Syntech's MD, Milon Chakraborty is confident of
making it work. He is getting into consumer electronics (CE) as these are fast
selling products, which he can offer to his existing clientele alongside an IT
solution package. Syntech has even opened an office in Shanghai, to be closer to
its OEM partners.

Syntech, which is an IBM partner and sells its PCs, will stop trading in
these machines once it launches its own brand. This is to avoid conflict of
interest. It might even go a step further and stop its reselling business, if
sales of its own products are good.

Just like its product mix, the company is dabbling in every channel activity
to ensure that its revenues continue to grow at a steady pace. Syntech has five
divisions-service, turnkey projects, reselling, software development and
retailing. When asked whether he is spreading himself too thin, Milon replies in
the negative. "If my PC business does not do well, then CE sales will
balance the loss. And if this venture does not work out to our expectations, we
can always rely on our other channel business to help us keep growing," he
said.

The company is also undergoing a certification before the launch of its
products. Milon expects this move to give his brand more weightage and
credibility in the market. DQWeek awarded Syntech as the most promising channel
partner at its first awards ceremony in Kolkata, this year.