FOR Chennai-based Pentasoft Technologies, fiscal 2000-01 was all about settling in. In 1999-00, the company—then known as Pentafour Communications—had bought over the business software division of Pentafour Software for $205 million in a cash and share-swap deal. Within a year, it had grown by over 450%. This year, however, the growth was far more sedate, 44%, with final revenues being clocked at Rs 583 crore. Gross profits rose by 75%, while the net moved upwards 48% to Rs 126.6 crore. Operating margins grew from 30% to 35%.

Most of these revenues came from three verticals—banking and finance (33%), IT & telecom (40%) and services (20%). The company’s domestic business continued to grow, even as its training division was affected by the slowdown. There was a surprising undertone to that, for Pentasoft increased the number of outlets significantly. The underlying good news was that Pentasoft emerged as one of the few companies that began work in the emerging Eurocurrency application segment, with 5 per cent of its revenues coming from here.

Pentasoft Technologies has reorganized itself three divisions—enterprise, engineering and education and training. Of these, it was the training division that faced the brunt of the slowdown in this segment as a whole. Over the year, this division saw a growth of about 13%, but operating margins remained the highest of all divisions, at 40%.

During the year, the company also signed a memorandum of understanding to acquire two Australian firms—Rengain Pty and Ozi Resourcing—and the company’s shareholders, at its fifth AGM, passed a resolution to raise $150 million through an ADR/GDR issue for the purchase. Significantly, the company’s investment in SEI CMM Level 4 certification finally paid off.

It cracked one if its toughest sales yet, bagging an offshore contract from Ford. It set up a development facility for the auto major at its 100,000-sq ft Tidel Park center. This division accounted for 18% of Pentasoft’s revenues in the third quarter. The company is hopeful of further international contracts coming its way once it attains SEI CMM level 5 certification. Pentasoft also expanded operations in India, with development centers being opened in Hyderabad and Bangalore. In the pipeline are centers at Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi. Internationally, the company already has software development facilities in Malaysia, Dubai and Mauritius.