Mumbai: Cisco Systems plans to aggressively focus on the Indian auto manufacturing, sector with solutions to streamline processes, improve productivity and ensure faster turn-around of high quality products. Towards this end Cisco is hosting an auto seminar in the three key automotive hubs in India — Pune, Chennai and Delhi. A key feature of the seminar is a technology showcase covering a wide range of innovative technologies such as Wireless LANs, IP telephony and video surveillance for increased collaboration, monitoring and service management in the Indian auto industry.

Cisco''s expertise in managing networks in this sector goes back a long way - the company works with leading auto cmanufacturers including Honda, Ford and Mahindra & Mahindra. In one of its most successful customer references, Cisco was able to help Ford (Europe) contribute in a $1 billion profit turn-around between 2000-2001 as a result of e-enabling projects.

Says Jangoo Dalal, senior vice president, enterprise, Cisco Systems (India & SAARC), "At a time when auto companies are beginning to adopt world car concepts that transcend diverse geographies, Tech Drive 2005 will provide the ideal forum to bring world auto majors'' best practices to the Indian industry. With supply chains getting increasingly large and spread out, the challenge today lies in achieving a new level of visibility and flexibility through the automotive organization''s network and Cisco is committed to streamlining these cutting edge network deployments for India''s leading auto players."

Auto, retail, textile and pharmaceuticals are some of the key sub-verticals Cisco is looking to tap during the year. This focus is part of the company''s broader vertical focused go-to-market strategy classified under IT & ITeS, Enterprise and Service Provider & Government.