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News >> Technology >>
Airbus betting big on Indian IT skill
By agencies
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Wednesday, 22 June 2005, 19:30 IST
NEW DELHI: Betting big on Indian technology expertise, European aircraft maker Airbus will tie-up with more IT firms to outsource manufacturing of parts and software development for reducing costs and building better planes.
''The amount of parts we need depends on production, which is expected to go up 10 percent to 360 aircraft this year. We look to expand existing relationships and explore new opportunities for outsourcing from India,'' Airbus Regional Press Manager David Velupillai said.
The company has allocated manufacturing worth over $80 million to Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). Airbus also has industrial relationships with Infosys, HCL Technologies, Midhani, Computervision.
''Besides, Videocon is also helping us with digitization. We expect outsourcing from India to continue to grow,'' he said.
Infosys worked on the design and development of the top and bottom skin extensions within the inner fixed trailing edge for the Airbus A 380, which will be the world's biggest aircraft after it starts commercial operations.
Infosys also played a key role in developing tools and processes for product lifecycle management.
''The production of A 380 family is increasing to 30 aircraft a month. So we will need more Indian expertise,'' Velupillai added.
India is increasingly becoming the preferred outsourcing destination for aircraft giants due to low-cost development and high quality of manpower.
Airbus rival Boeing also has tie-ups with Indian firms, including HCL Technologies Ltd. Boeing's investment plan for designing the B 787 Dreamliner is of the order of $8 billion and HCL is working on software development for the project.