Source: www.business-standard.com

Indeed, as Indian economy exudes a blitzing energy, growing by leaps and bounds, Indian firms have begun to develop nerves of steel, including considerable chutzpah, as they work hard to turn into global empires. Case in point, Laxmi Mittal, TCS, Infosys, Wipro and many more, all of whom have or are making acquisitions all across the Americas (both North and South) to Europe.

And now, the latest in India’s global success story comes the news of Wipro Technologies, one of India’s premier information technology and outsourcing firm, who is poised to acquire the IT arm of a major German firm.

While, names have been kept under wraps, with little chance of disclosure till the deal has been sealed and finalized, Wipro has already initiated talks with potential targets in Germany. Conjecture has it, BMW, Lufthansa, BASF and Siemens, all major German firms, have captive IT organisations in Germany.

While, automobile major BMW has an IT subsidiary, Softlab, with SAP capabilities, German airline stalwart Lufthansa runs Lufthansa Systems, the third biggest IT vendor in Germany. It is quite possible that BASF’s IT services division and a host of other small firms could also be on the Indian IT major’s radar screen.

Industry sources confirm, Wipro, based in Bangalore is expanding its presence in Germany and is looking at both organic and inorganic growth in the country.

With plans to enlarge its presence in enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions, captive customer base and data centre applications, Wipro is scouting for a company that offers these capabilities, as it would be the quickest and fastest way to establish a presence in the country, add sources. However, a Wipro spokesperson said his firm, as per policy, refused to comment on specific deals or clients. Even as, earlier, Azim Premji, Chairman - Wipro stated his firm would be looking at making acquisitions in Europe, especially in the UK, Germany and France, for gaining presence on the continent that would help it embark on a much faster growth rate.

With German major SAP, the leading ERP solutions provider in the world, Wipro’s intensions to tap the biggest ERP market in the world necessitates a strong presence in Germany, one that will also enable it to tap one of the virgin markets for outsourcing of IT services.

If, Wipro achieves what it has targeted for itself, it will affirm that India is arriving on the global scene. And, an established presence in Germany is not to be scoffed at, and it is no mean feat for a home-grown Indian firm, if one is knowledgeable about the history and mental make-up of a nation that believed and, perhaps, continues to believe their blond, blue-eyedness makes them a superior race. If, that was the case, then why are blonds / blondes the common butt of jokes that laugh about their ‘thick as a plank’ denseness, as a famous blonde (Princess Diana) so often said about herself. Here’s one for the road, enjoy:

SHE WAS SO BLONDE, THAT ….She sent me a fax with a stamp on it.
Q. What do you call it when a blonde dies her hair brunette?
A. Artificial intelligence.

Q. What do you call a blond with a brain?
A. A golden retriever.

Source: PTI

HCL Technologies, in inking a US $15-million contract with Alenia Aeronautica, an Italian firm part of the Finmeccanica company, will be providing engineering services for improving its C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft.

Announcing the deal at the Paris Air Show, under it HCL is responsible for converting most of Alenia Aeronautica’s existing C-27J aircraft structural design material, into an electronic format. As well, HCL will also carry out most of the planned engineering activities for supporting industrial improvement of the aircraft production line.

According to the Italian firm, a joint under-taking, the work will be carried out by its design department, along with a over 300-strong HCL mechanical engineers team.

Selecting HCL from amongst other Indian IT firms, Alenia based its decision on HCL’s experience and expertise in mechanical engineering services, including its extensive experience in the aerospace industry. As well, HCL has also earlier partnered Boeing in the development of its Dreamliner aircraft, as also Smiths Aviation.

To quote Rajeev Sawhney, President, European Operations - HCL Technologies: “We are the only Indian IT company with transformational expertise in engineering, able to meet Alenia’s needs, while maintaining strategic control in the hands of the customer, in line with co-sourcing models. This is a major development in the future design and manufacture of aircraft and signals a new era in the types of services we will be providing to the aerospace industry.”