Alstom to hire up to 1,000 engineers in India in 3-4 yrs

Company is also looking at doubling the order book in the next three to four years

French engineering major Alstom plans to hire 200-250 engineers annually in India over the next 3-4 years as it looks to double business to 800 million euro (about Rs 5,700 crore) in the country.

"We love doing business in India. We are finding good business environment in India. We are looking at doubling the order book in the next three to four years. Currently, we have an order book of Euro 400 million," Alstom (Transport) President Henri Poupart-Lafarge told reporters here.

Speaking highly about the Modi government's 'Make In India' initiative and the thrust on industrial corridors and smart cities, he said, business environment in the country has improved in the last one year.

Alstom, he said, is looking at increasing the skilled workforce in India to strengthen manufacturing and R&D capabilities and also to introduce the latest signalling systems for the metro rail projects.

The Indian arm of Alstom, he added, would be hiring about 200-250 engineers every year for the next three to four years depending on the growth in business.

The French company has about 800 engineers on its rolls presently in India.

Poupart-Lafarge said Alstom will bid for projects in the urban transport sector which is expected to witness rapid growth with more and more cities demanding metros services.

"There will be more demand for metros in different cities and also for expansion of the existing ones," he said, adding that the scope of work would increase substantially with the government developing smart cities.

"We are very much interested in smart cities...Though there is no definition of smart cities as such, it does mean better life for people to work and live," he added.