German firm ZF to set up technology centre in Hyderabad

German auto-component manufacturer ZF Friedrichshafen AG will set up here its India Technology Centre, which will be dedicated to software and mechanical engineering, an official statement said.

This will be the company's first technology centre in India and it will support its global development teams while enabling the company to accelerate local product development, said a statement from the office of Telangana Information Technology and Industries Minister K. T. Rama Rao

To be fully operational by January 1, 2017, the facility is expected to have a work force of 2,500 engineers by 2020.

"This new facility is a significant investment for ZF in India. We are harnessing the skilled talent pool that India has to offer in order to develop superior technology solutions for our global as well as local customers," said ZF Friedrichshafen AG CEO Stefan Sommer.

"As demand for software engineering grows, we will exponentially increase our capacity to help meet our customers' growth aspirations. With this Technology Centre, we are reinforcing our global R&D footprint as well as our commitment and investment in the rapidly emerging Indian market," he added.

According to the statement, 13,800 engineers are currently working in R&D with ZF globally. The research and development network consists of more than 100 development locations, including 17 main development locations.

"We have 1,000 external engineers in the field of electronics, software and mechanical engineering with key Indian Engineering Services providers in Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Our ZF India Technology will build on this engineering foundation, and focus not only on bringing advanced technology to India, but localizing more strategic business activities including research, design and development," said Mamatha Chamarthi, senior vice president and executive lead for the new India Technology Centre.

--IANS

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