HCL to serve US energy firm

India's leading IT firm HCL Technologies has set up a development centre in Michigan state of the US to service Consumers Energy, a subsidiary of the US-based electric and natural gas firm CMS Energy.

"The Michigan technology development centre at Jackson will serve as our centre of excellence for application and infrastructure-related operations and provide IT services to Consumers Energy," the company said in a statement here Wednesday.

HCL has hired 120 techies across Michigan to service the energy firm and its clients in North America and Latin America.

"We engage our customers by focusing on building a transformational approach and business models based on our expertise in application support and maintenance and infrastructure," HCL enterprise services president Steve Cardell said in the statement.

Governor Rick Snyder said Michigan ranked third in the US in creating high-tech jobs and the HCL centre was an example of that growth.

"Technology is playing a larger role in our state's economy, and investments, such as by HCL, are helping to keep Michigan moving forward in this crucial area," Snyder said on the occasion.

Consumers Energy will also use the centre to equip its employees with IT skills for high-value projects and technologies.