Chennai: The Philippines headquartered global healthcare, legal and publishing business process outsourcing (BPO) company SPi will be moving medical billing work to India from its US centre in Chicago. The company has a wholly owned Indian subsidiary called SPi Technologies India Pvt Ltd headquartered in Chennai.

Addressing the media here on Wednesday SPi''s president and chief executive officer Ernest L. Cu said, "The cost differential between US and India is quite substantial. With the setting up of a new centre in Chennai we might move the medical bill processing activity here in six to eight months time. The business might need around 150 people."

SPi Technologies inaugurated its new 17,000 sq.ft facility in the city today. The 1,100-seat facility will house the company''s publishing and healthcare business operations. Initially the new facility will have 150 employees before being scaled up.

The Chennai centre will be SPi Technologies'' fourth and biggest delivery facility in India. The other delivery centres are located in Pondicherry (600 employees), Coimbatore (400 employees) and New Delhi (50 employees). The centres in Pondicherry and New Delhi are involved in publishing activity while the Coimbatore centre is engaged in medical transcriptions business.

Speaking about SPi''s India plans Cu added that the company is on the look out for acquisitions with $50 million kitty. SPi has been expanding its Indian operations mainly through acquisitions.

The Philippines company first acquired the Pondicherry-based Kolam Information Services Private Limited a book publishing BPO in 2003 and in 2005 it acquired the medical transcription''s business of the Coimbatore based KG Information Services and Technologies Pvt Ltd. Adding further he said, SPi Technologies has plans are afoot to increase the head count by 700 by the year end.

The company is in the process of integrating the human resource policies of the two firms with that of SPi Technologies.

Cu also said that the group had no plans to start its voice BPO operations in India.