The company also announced the opening of its Asean headquarters here.

The new facilities, spread over 12,800 sq ft, will represent a $10 million investment for the company over the next three years.

Opening the two facilities, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Mr S Iswaran said: 'Amidst the current economic turmoil, it is heartening to note that Hitachi has identified and is taking advantage of growth opportunities in Singapore and the region by investing in new facilities and services.'

He added that Hitachi's expansion here is testimony to the value that Singapore can offer in the development of new information storage and management solutions for the region.

Mr Ravi Rajendran, HDS' vice-president and general manager for Asean said companies should streamline their operations while investing in upgrading their staff during the downturn so that they would be able to weather the recession and emerge stronger.

'With the new BSC, we are looking at equipping our customers and partners with the technology they need to maximise their storage infrastructure, and provide them the skills they need to raise their productivity and profitability,' he added.

Despite the economic downturn, analysts predict the data storage market to grow between 60 and 100 per cent a year.

'You will have more emails everyday and you need to manage all that data. We are just looking at making the process easier for our customers,' said Mr Rajendran, adding that despite the hard times, HDS doubled its revenue in the first half of 2008, compared to a year ago.

The company will release its full- year 2008 results on March 31.

The company will increase its headcount by 50 per cent in the next three years at the new facilities. The expanded facilities will serve three key functions for HDS' customers and partners: training, showcasing its new innovations and acting as a centre for collaboration for its hardware, software and technology partners.