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If you have a fetish for diamonds and simply adore them, you can't just
miss visiting Surat, especially if you consider them as your best friend. It is
widely acclaimed for world-class diamonds. The diamonds are said to be very pure
here and there are takers for the same from all parts of the country and
internationally too.
That apart, the city has several other attributes too. The textile mills of
Surat are equally well known. Those having a penchant for buying unique sarees
flock to this city and find options aplenty there.
 If
these things do not interest you, one aspect of the city is sure to appeal- the
food of Surat. Be it the sweetmeats, or the typical spicy food of the state,
Surat has some lip smacking dishes to offer on your palette.
While, these markets have reached a ripe stage already, one area that is yet
to achieve maturity is that of IT. The channel community especially has a lot of
scope for growth. "There are solution providers who have made software that
are useful for the diamond industry that thrives in Surat. These solutions
display the amount of raw material that will be put in the machine, and with
minimum input, how much can the maximum diameter of the diamond be. But these
solution providers are not very well-recognized. With the help of NASSCOM, we
plan to get them recognition on the national level, because of the potential
they have," said Jwalant Shroff, President, South Gujarat Information
Technologists Association. He also added that he plans to be funded by these
national associations.
 One
drawback that Surat faces is that of having the tag of a B-class city.
"Sometimes opportunities do not come our way as they are taken up by other
bigger neighboring cities," said Brejesh Khanna of Vestta Infotech. It also
happens at times, as Brejesh pointed out that one may have all technical
capabilities to undertake a government order, but the pre-requisites set by them
cannot be fulfilled. "The government wants an ISO:9001 certification and
also that the company has a turnover of greater than Rs 100 lakh, which is at
times difficult to obtain, thus lucrative government orders are lost,"
lamented Brejesh.
Coming to the much talked about debate on branded versus assembled machines,
Jwalant said that although the trend on sale of branded machines is on the rise,
it allows lesser scope for profits. He maintained that the market for assembled
products is higher than the branded ones and the ratio would stand at 70:30.
The Channel here, like partners across the nation is facing the problem of
reduced margins and same amount of overheads and manpower and are thinking of
ways to overcome this problem. But they are an optimistic lot and are determined
that the way they fought the deadly plague some years back, they will bring the
diamond-like glitter in the channel business as well.
Next Page : ASSOCIATION PROFILE: South Gujarat Information Technologists Association Page(s) 1 2
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