The Manhattan Associates’ Bangalore Center is not just another technical programming factory. It is a full extension of the company’s domestic enterprise and engages in all activities from research to development and concept to design. Manhattan Associates recognizes the inherent value of collaborating with India and leveraging the innovation and talent represented in the people and culture. With globalization, supply chain engineering is an increasingly complex field that warrants the skills and knowledge of the talented Indian workforce. A global industry requires global perspective and participation.

This October, roughly 600 engineers working at the Manhattan Associates’ India Development Center gathered at the Grand Ashok. The anticipation among the employees was palpable that evening. The congregation was eager to welcome their CEO and President, Pete Sinisgalli, who had flown in from the U.S. to speak at the evening event. In fact, the entire board, had flown in for the occasion, braving the sultry October heat. “IBM is the only other Multi-National Corporation to have brought its entire board to India,” someone was overheard saying. It was truly a momentous occasion, not just for the engineers of Manhattan Associates, but for all stakeholders in the India story. The gathering was after all being held close on the heels of the company’s board meet, the first of its kind in the country.

New Wave

When the supply chain management industry became captivated by the concept of store clustering last year, a knowing smile flitted across the faces of employees at the Manhattan Associates’ facility in India. Their amusement continued to grow when the media jumped on board and the buzz convinced companies that they needed to develop a product that incorporated the concept. After all, as part of the team at Manhattan Associates—they had all been introduced to the concept of clustering more than a year ago and were already close to releasing a product.

Manhattan Associates’ early lead in the clustering arena is one of many positive byproducts resulting from the establishment of the company’s Scientific Advisory Board. The board comprises leading professors from Columbia University, Georgia Institute of Technology, MIT and the Wharton School of Business along with key industry experts in the supply chain domain. Its main objective is to explore what the supply chain landscape will look like a few years down the line. They had long foreseen store clustering and alerted Manhattan Associates’ research team to this growing development.