'Agilent's India campus is one of the largest'

- Venkatesh Valluri, President & Country GM, Agilent India

Agilent Technologies is on the leading edge in bio-analytical measurement business providing application-focused solutions that include instruments, software, consumables and services enabling customers to identify, quantify and analyze the physical and biological properties of substances and products. Agilent caters to the industry with microarrays, microfluidics, gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, software and informatics, and consumables and services. Venkatesh Valluri, President and Country General Manager of Agilent India, elaborates on Agilent's presence in India and the initiatives to strengthen the company's presence in the country.

Can you give an overview of the uptake of Agilent products in the life sciences segment in India?

The mission of our LSCA business is to contribute to the quality of life by providing measurement solutions to the life sciences and chemical analysis industries. Agilent's LSCA Division is a leading supplier of instruments, software, supplies and services to the life science and chemical analysis markets. These products enable customers to identify, quantify, analyze and test the atomic, molecular, physical and biological properties of thousands of substances and products. Customers in the chemical, environmental, pharmaceutical, biotech, academic and government sectors use these products extensively.

Today, Agilent has a leadership position in the market for these products and solutions. It continues to bring in the latest technologies that are helping the Indian industry compete globally.

How do you intend to strengthen Agilent's life sciences division in India?

Agilent is extremely committed to India and the announcement of setting up an R&D center in Bangalore in the recent past is the testimony to our commitment. This decision to initiate R&D activities in the country reflects our confidence in the talent pool and growth opportunities here. We will continue to focus on providing cutting-edge technology services to our customers and partners. The Bangalore center will complement other global Agilent development teams and will work towards innovations that
are applicable to both India and global markets.

Will there be any specific product launches for the Indian life science market this year?

Agilent will continue to bring in state-of-the-art technology into India. Our recent launches in the Mass spectrometry area which included QQQ (triple Quad) and QTOF LS/MS systems are a demonstration of this focus. We will continue to bring in new technologies and products that would enable the growth of the Indian industry.

How do you plan to increase your customer support services in India?

India is one of the fastest growing markets for Agilent and we will be taking all steps to strengthen its leadership position in the Indian market. Our recent investment to set up a world class Center of Excellence (CoE) in Bangalore is a testimony to this fact. Today, we have presence in all major metros of India. We will continue to expand our presence in the next tier cities where the biotech, pharma and the chemical analysis industries are present. Our expansion plans are essentially geared towards providing world-class service and support to our customers. We will continue to demonstrate the new technologies that are being worked upon by Agilent to our customers and partners.

Recently, Agilent opened its China headquarter campus. Are there any similar plans for India?

Agilent in India is in the process of building a campus near Manesar in Haryana. Spread over 10 acres, this will be one of Agilent's largest campuses worldwide. With operations in India now having reached a critical mass, investing in a state-of-the-art campus was the next logical step. In keeping with our strong commitment to India, the campus will house employees involved in research and development, engineering support and financial services for Agilent entities worldwide.

How do you plan to increase the distribution of your products and services in India?

Agilent is a high technology company providing high-end solutions to our customers. It is important that the products we sell are well supported. Our attempt to expand and serve the large Indian market depends on qualified personnel and a robust service and support structure.

Our strategy for expansion is based on the simple premise that we continue to provide world-class technology and support. To do this we will continue to invest in training our workforce, channels and customers. The geographical reach is also important and therefore we would expand our presence to the next tier cities in the coming months.

Hasthana Rajappa