Patni, leading global IT and BPO services provider, has announced the establishment of a new North American hub for Business Process Outsourcing operations in El Paso, Texas. The move was triggered by a multiyear, multimillion-dollar BPO services contract with a leading healthcare technology and services provider. Adding the El Paso center follows through on the stated corporate strategy to invest in specific regions around the world and contribute toward generating economic opportunities in these regions. Patni has set a goal to increase the size and scope of its North American operations to adapt to market conditions that encourage the establishment of more on-shore delivery capabilities.

Establishing the new service hub expands Patnis Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) delivery capabilities to service North American customers from domestic locations in a cost-effective manner, deliver cost take-outs locally and employ highly skilled local talent. When fully staffed, it will employ more than 300 skilled professionals providing a wide range of insurance, financial services, finance and accounting, technical support and multi-lingual helpdesk services to Patnis North American clients. In addition, the BPO services deal strengthens Patnis healthcare delivery capability across the Payers and Providers segment.

Patni currently has three principal service delivery centers in the U.S. in Bloomington, Ill.; Milpitas, Calif.; and Cambridge, Mass., and is committed to adding more on-shore delivery capabilities.

"We have embarked on a plan to expand our domestic operations to address evolving customer requirements for cost-effective services from onshore locations," said Naresh Lakhanpal, EVP and President, Patni Americas. "El Paso is a preferred domestic location possessing state-of-the-art infrastructure, cost advantages, a positive business climate, support from the local government and a highly skilled work force."

The establishment of the El Paso site follows Patnis recent move to open a "nearshore" center in Queretaro, Mexico, to serve North American and Latin American markets and augment the companys global delivery capabilities. The Texas location offers Patni access to U.S. customers that either prefer to or are required by regulators to keep sensitive data processing operations on shore.

Patni plans to expand the offerings on site to deliver high-quality BPO services to a wide range of industries central to the companys mission, including life sciences, telecommunications, financial services, insurance and manufacturing.