DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 28 Bangalore-based Wipro WIPR.BO WIT.N wants to b

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 28 (Reuters) Bangalore-based Wipro wants to be among the top 10 global IT service firms in terms of revenue within four years and plans more acquisitions including in Germany to achieve that, its chairman said on Saturday.

Azim Premji, head of India's third-largest software exporter, said his company was looking to buy IT services firms especially in Germany this year. This was part of global acquisition plan searching for firms that generate revenues of up to $200 million, he told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The New York-listed company, which provides IT solutions and services such as systems integration, software application development and maintenance, has been buying up foreign firms to accelerate growth.

''We certainly plan to be within top 10 in the market in terms of revenues in the next three to four years,'' said Premji, India's second-richest man who owns about 80 percent of the $17 billion company.

''We want to increase our footprint in Europe... We are looking at companies in infrastructure, particularly in Europe, particularly in Germany,'' he said, adding that on his shopping list were also IT companies dealing with energy utilities, data centres, engineering and healthcare.

''They are mid-sized to small-sized companies with revenues between $30-40 million to $200 million. We will spend on what we have to spend. We are sitting on $1 billion in cash.'' Wipro, which counts telecoms gear makers Cisco Systems Inc.

and Nortel as clients, is currently ranked around 16th globally in terms of revenues.

STAYING AHEAD Wipro said in November it was on track to boost IT services revenue by 7 percent in the fourth quarter compared with the previous three months to $633 million.

''We always meet our target,'' Premji said.

He expected the IT services industry's revenue growth rate in the fiscal year ending March 2007 to be 32-33 percent.

''We have consistently grown ahead of the industry. I would assume the industry growth for the next (fiscal) year would be at least 30 percent,'' he said.

On the Indian rupee, which appreciated more than 6 percent against the dollar in the past six months , Premji said: ''It puts some pressure on margins. We have to raise productivity more, we have to get better prices.'' REUTERS MQA HS0934