Bangalore: Dell Computer Corporation plans to increase its presence in India and migrate its outsourcing of services in the US to the company's international services centre, its Chairman and CEO Michael S Dell said on March 19.

Speaking to reporters in Bangalore, Dell however ruled out the possibility of setting up a manufacturing unit in India, saying having manufacturing base in different countries would not be a "good proposition".

Dell said that the company has increased the strength of its personnel in its new facility in Bangalore from 168 to 800 this year, which, he indicated, might go up further.

Identifying Asia-Pacific as a major growth market, he said that India would be one of the "top markets" going by the sheer size of its population.

In Asia Pacific and Japan, Dell's unit volumes were up 19 per cent year-over-year, in a market that declined 6 per cent, during the quarter ending February one, 2002, he said.

Revenue for the last four quarters for Asia Pacific and Japan recorded $ 3 billion.

Dell said as against the entire industry's growth of five per cent worldwide, his corporation recorded 15 per cent growth last year on year-on-year basis.

Out of the turnover of $ 22 billion, 22 to 23 per cent of it was contributed by software, he said.

On a day's trip to Bangalore, the home of his company's operations in India, and on his second visit to India, Dell is on the US President's council of advisors on science and technology and has earned a spot on Time/CNN's list of 25 most influential global executives in 2001.

PTI