TCS launches engineering centre of excellence in Coimbatore

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has launched a consulting-led initiative to tap the engineering potential of the country's small and medium enterprise (SME) segment. This would enable SMEs to innovate and access the global markets.

As a part of the initiative, TCS has unveiled its first engineering centre of excellence in Coimbatore. TCS has planned a phased roll out of similar engineering centres of excellence in various manufacturing clusters in the country.

The company would collaborate with the SME segment to offer integrated design to manufacturing and sourcing services to manufacturing customers worldwide in a platform-based, service-oriented mode. This collaboration will enable SMEs to gain access to global markets, cutting edge technology and tools as well as world-class process excellence.

The Coimbatore centre comprises facilities like high-end engineering workstations for design and analysis, secure storage facilities and a team of engineering solution specialists. UGS, the global leader in PLM technology, is providing design software for the centre.

TCS engineering centre of excellence will work with SME players in the region to improve their engineering capabilities and connect them to potential customers globally. TCS, UGS and AT Kearney (ATK) Procurement Solutions have also partnered to set up an Asian Sourcing Network. The sourcing portal will help Coimbatore-based SMEs access new customers worldwide.

In a press statement, S Ramadorai, CEO and managing director, Tata Consultancy Services said, "Engineering SMEs from India are gaining momentum globally and TCS' superior IT and engineering capabilities will help establish SMEs in the global arena further."

"TCS will continue to pioneer such new business models to raise our share of the emerging opportunities. The TCS engineering centre of excellence in Coimbatore is replicable across major manufacturing clusters in the country and will help create 'communities of excellence' among the SME segment. Our competencies will be leveraged to assist SMEs with access to technology for improved product design and establish processes which allow them to handle greater workloads and operate with greater efficiency," said Ravi Gopinath, vice president and Global Head, Engineering and Industrial Services, TCS.

"With global alliance partners like UGS and AT Kearney, TCS will help provide greater market access to the SMEs to clients in the US and Europe," he added.

The decision to set up the first engineering centre of excellence in Coimbatore is strategic in nature. With over 45,000 registered SSI units, Coimbatore has a high concentration of small and medium scale industries. Coimbatore continues to be an industrial hub for light engineering. TCS is keen to tap this industry cluster in Coimbatore for sourcing and manufacturing services in areas of automotive ancillary or components, foundry, motor and pumps industry, machinery and parts.

In an effort to tap this large base, TCS has also signed an MoU with the Coimbatore District Small Industries Association (CODISSIA), which has a membership of over 4,500 registered companies. The aggregate export revenue of these companies in 2005 was close to Rs 2,400 crore.