Mahindra Aerospace and Mahindra Satyam - representing the aerospace manufacturing and engineering capabilities of India's industrial house, the Mahindra Group - today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a trade partnership with the Eurocopter Group and its Indian subsidiary, Eurocopter India.
This partnership will be focused on the manufacture of subassemblies, engineering and customization of civil helicopters, and the joint development of specific market segments. Details of the partnership's scope and structure will be determined in the coming months.
"Eurocopter has made a major commitment to support the Indian helicopter marketplace, which has great potential for development as the country's economy continues to expand," explained Eurocopter President & CEO Lutz Bertling. "Mahindra is a long-established and respected multinational group with excellent engineering capabilities, which opens many opportunities for the partnership of our two companies."
The cooperation with Mahindra is aligned with Eurocopter's strategy to become a manufacturer in India through arrangements with local partners, thereby improving its knowledge of the market and adapting the company's products to the region's operational needs. In addition, Eurocopter will benefit from the extensive engineering skills of India's workforce, along with the country's network of universities and technical schools.
Hemant Luthra, Chairman of Mahindra Aerospace, and President and Member of the Group Executive Board of Mahindra & Mahindra said: "We are delighted to work with the world's leading helicopter manufacturer to contribute to the growth of India's aeronautics industry and its civil aircraft market. Eurocopter has a solid, long-term strategy for the growth of the Indian market, while we are already creating a niche for ourselves in the fixed-wing aircraft and aerostructures manufacturing sectors. We see our MoU as a significant step forward for both of us, as well as for the domestic aviation industry."
"This agreement underscores our commitment and ambition to be a leading provider of valueadded services for the sector," commented Mahindra Satyam CEO C P Gurnani. "Mahindra Satyam has been providing IT and engineering services to the aerospace sector, and has been providing solutions to Airbus for the last several years. We are already closely engaged with the EADS Group and feel proud to be associated with its Eurocopter division to provide our engineering capabilities for their range of products."
Eurocopter demonstrated its commitment to the Indian market and industry with the launch of its India subsidiary - Eurocopter India Private Limited - in October 2010, making it the first and only foreign helicopter manufacturer to have such a dedicated Indian operation. One of the subsidiary's key priorities is to identify synergies and opportunities for partnerships with local companies to strengthen the country's helicopter industry.
About Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH
Established in 1992, the Franco-German-Spanish Eurocopter Group is a division of EADS, a world leader in aerospace, defense and related services. The Eurocopter Group employs approximately 17,500 people. In 2010, Eurocopter confirmed its position as the world's number one helicopter manufacturer in the civil and parapublic market with a turnover of 4.8 billion Euros, orders for 346 new helicopters and a 49 percent market share in the civil and parapublic sectors. Overall, the Group's helicopters account for 33 percent of the total worldwide civil and parapublic fleet. Eurocopter's strong worldwide presence is ensured by its 30 subsidiaries and participations on five continents, along with a dense network of distributors, certified agents and maintenance centers. There are currently 11,200 Eurocopter helicopters in service and some 2,900 customers in 147 countries. Eurocopter offers the largest civil and military helicopter range in the world.
About Eurocopter India Pvt Limited
On October 20, 2010, Eurocopter inaugurated its new Indian subsidiary, which has been given the goals of expanding the world's largest helicopter manufacturer's commercial presence in this highly-promising marketplace, reinforcing its support and services network throughout the country, and further developing the company's four-decade relationship with Indian industry. Eurocopter India Pvt. Ltd. is the 25th subsidiary established worldwide by Eurocopter and the 10th in Asia. It is the first and only foreign helicopter manufacturer in the world to have created a fully-fledged subsidiary in India. The new subsidiary is headquartered in New Delhi and has an existing facility in Bangalore for the management of industrial activity. An engineering centre will be created in Bangalore next year to support the company's design, development and industrial activities, along with the opening of a new commercial office in Mumbai.
