HCL Tech planning to increase headcount

NEW DELHI: HCL Technologies, a key player in the aerospace industry and a partner in Boeing's 787 programme, is planning to hire more engineers at its two development centres to meet rising demand from the aviation sector.

"We see good growth in the aviation sector for at least 9-10 years due to the demand for aircraft in India," HCL Corporate Vice President and Head of Technology Division G H Rao said.

The company currently has 1,000 engineers at its two centres in Bangalore and Chennai working on hardware, software and mechanical engineering for the aerospace sector and plans to induct more to ramp up operations at the facilities, Rao told.

HCL has tie-ups with Boeing, which has selected it as a software development partner for the 787 Dreamliner programme, and Smiths Aerospace, with which it opened a development centre with 60 engineers in Chennai in February.

Rao said the company was also eyeing opportunities provided by the 30 per cent offsets clause in all defence deals worth over Rs 300 crore as well as the growing satellite launch market.

"Any player in aerospace has to look at the offsets mandated by the government of India and we are looking at them seriously," he said, adding HCL was in talks with some firms in this regard.

"Space technologies are a logical sequel for us and we could work on satellites and unmanned vehicles," Rao said.     

About six per cent of the revenues of the company, which will participate in the Paris Air Show to showcase its products and services, come from the aerospace sector.