"We consider operations in China to be of strategic importance for us because many of our customers we provide services to currently, also have operations there," B Ramalinga Raju, chairman of the Hyderabad-based company, said.
"Several thousand people would operate out of China in the next few years," he added.
The company intends to grow operations in China with a view to serve its clients there and take advantage of the talent pool available in the engineering services, he said adding that a significant portion of the headcount that would be scaled in China would in the engineering services domain.
He said the company is pursuing an acquisition strategy, including buyouts overseas, to enhance its skills in areas it is "not necessarily strong in" and "where levels of synergy are higher."
"We are observing that the need to integrate talent at a global level is increasing," he said.
Engineering services have contributed more than 10 per cent in the company's overall revenue. "We expect engineering services to grow faster than growth of the company itself. What we may do in the field of IT may open opportunities in the engineering services sector and vice-versa," he said.