Wipro Technologies

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Wipro Technologies
Type	Public (NYSE: WIT)
Founded	1945
Headquarters	Bangalore, India
Key people	Azim Premji, Chairman and Managing Director
Industry	Computer Services
Products	Computer hardware
Revenue	$2.39 billion USD (2006)
Employees	61,000+ (2006)
Slogan	Applying Thought
Website	www.wipro.com

Wipro Technologies is an IT service company established in 1980 in India, it is a subsidiary of Wipro Limited NYSE: WIT (incorporated 1946, in operation since 1945). It is headquartered in Bangalore. As of 2004, it was the 4th largest company in the world in terms of market capitalization in IT services.

The current chairman is Azim Premji.

Contents 1 History 2 Time Line 3 Wipro businesses 4 External Links

[edit] History

Wipro was set up in Amalner in 1945. Primarily an oil & natural gas factory, the chief products were Sunflower Vanaspati and 787 laundry soap (a by-product of the Vanaspati operations). The company was called Western India Vegetable Products Limited, with a minor presence in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

In the 1970s and 1980s it began to expand and made forays into computing.

[edit] Time Line

• 1945: Incorporation of Western India Products Limited.
• 1947: An oil mill and hydrogenated cooking medium plant set up.
• 1966: Azim Premji takes over the leadership of Wipro at the age of 21.
• 1975: Wipro Fluid Power set up to manufacture hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders.
• 1977: Name of the company changed to Wipro Products Limited.
• 1980: Information technology services for domestic market started.
• 1981: Hardware company is launched.
• 1982: Name of the company changed to Wipro Limited.
• 1984: Software products subsidiary - Wipro Systems Ltd. - established.
• 1985: Toilet soaps manufacture begins.
• 1988: Wipro BioMed, a new business unit to market and service bio-analytical and diagnostic instruments, is launched.
• 1989: Joint venture with GE of US for medical systems, Wipro GE Medical Systems Ltd.
• 1990: Product software business discontinued; software services begin.
• 1992: Lighting business and finance arm is established.
• 1994: Merger of subsidiaries Wipro Technologies Ltd. and Wipro Systems Ltd. with Wipro Ltd.
• 1998: Relaunch of Wipro identity with Rainbow Flower and positioning statement, "Applying Thought".
• 1999: Software business reaches SEI certification.
• 1999: Wipro Net set up by restructuring Wipro Ltd.'s communication services business to address the Internet market.
• 2000: Listing of Wipro Ltd.'s ADRs on New York Stock Exchange.
• 2000: Six Sigma initiative begun.
• 2001: Wipro becomes world's first PCMM Level 5 company.
• 2002: Wipro becomes CMMi.
• 2005: Wipro becomes a 2 billion $ company.
• 2006: Wipro sees net profit for the three months to September rise 48% to $152m (£81m). [1]

[edit] Wipro businesses

• Official website
• Wipro Infotech
• Wipro GE Medical Systems
• Wipro BPO

[edit] External Links

• Wipro company overview - Reuters
• Wipro Limited financial overview at Google Finance
• Wipro company profile at Businessweek
• Wipro rides Indian outsource wave