Mumbai, Feb 11 :     Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) will now focus on knowledge-based and service businesses to provide integrated solutions to its customers and harness information technology, including e-commerce, to offer an array of value-added services. ABB managing director K K Kaura predicted a 20 per cent growth in topline for the next three years as a result of the shift. 'The company, after the change in strategy, will adopt a binary approach to its growth plan,' he told reporters here today. Traditional businesses such as power transmission, distribution, industrial products would be powered by organic growth through strategic market focus and introduction of new products. At the same time, the Rs 776-crore company intends to tap emerging opportunities by entering into new markets and enhancing business volumes through innovation and entrepreneurship, Kaura said. It could, for instance, advise companies on the privatisation of distribution, offer turnkey solutions and provide a wide range of energy services. Explaining the concept of providing a service-based business, Kaura said his company, which earlier confined itself to supplying equipments to plants, would now offer services such as upgradation and maintenance. 'We will capitalise on our large customer base and make a shift from traditional lines of activity to a larger, full-service concept.' Explaining what is meant by plans to focus on the knowledge-based industry, ABB officials pointed out that ABB will not try to emerge as an infotech company. Instead, it will use infotech to offer value addition to its customers. The power generation business of ABB was transferred to a new 50:50 joint venture with Alstom as part of a restructuring programme in the ABB group in the previous year. As a result, ABB now has a presence in seven segments which includes transmission, distribution, automation, oil & gas, industrial products and contracting and financial services. ABB chairman Narsim Shenoy told The Telegraph his company would move aggressively in the transmission sector after it is thrown open to the private firms. 'We will certainly be interested in picking up an equity stake in transmission lines,' he added. Net dips to Rs 37 cr ABB posted a marginal decline in its net profit for the year ended December 31, 1999 at Rs 37.19 crore compared with Rs 37.73 crore in the previous year. However, for the quarter ended December 31, the profit was higher at Rs 19.38 crore as against Rs 18.08 crore in December 1998. Net sales during this quarter declined to Rs 259.70 crore as against Rs 286.57 crore a year ago. Other income was also lower at Rs 10.59 crore (Rs 11.98 crore). For the year ended December 31, net sales declined to Rs 775.80 crore from Rs 869.24 crore for the entire calendar year of 1998.