Company: SMEC INTERNATIONAL

State: NEW SOUTH WALES

Sector: INFRASTRUCTURE

The Australian consulting firm Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation,
SMEC, has been involved in a wide variety of infrastructure projects in
India since the early 1980s. Over the last decade it has focused primarily
on road projects, including intercity highways and rural roads, but also
has interests in other areas such as construction, water management and
power. In 1993, to support this growing business, SMEC established a Delhi
office.

SMEC's major roles within these projects have been in providing
contract management and supervision expertise. The company has regularly
formed associations with local partners, facilitating the transfer of
knowledge to Indian businesses and providing SMEC with a competitive
advantage in labour costs. Success in SMEC' s Indian ventures has come
about through patience, perseverance and persuasion. A foreign company
cannot expect business to be done at the same pace as elsewhere; the
culture needs to be understood and appreciated. SMEC has learnt to deal
within this environment and is optimistic about its future in India.

An increasing proportion of SMEC's business is now being conducted
through the local subsidiary, SMEC (India) Pvt. Ltd, which was
incorporated in 1996. SMEC (India) currently has more than 200 staff and
is believed to be one of the largest Australian owned professional
services companies in India

Source: SMEC International, 2001.