US-based Visteon opens $10 mn centre in Chennai

New Delhi, Sep 25: US-based global automotive supplier Visteon Corporation today announced the opening of a 10-million dollars Visteon Technical and Services Centre in Chennai.

The company has planned to recruit 700 software professionals and 250 business process professionals in the 110,000 square-foot facility, which, according to the company, is set to become Visteon's centre of excellence for automotive embedded software, providing support to the company globally, including joint ventures and aftermarket business.

The Indian arm of Visteon software development accounts for more than 50 percent of the global software development within Visteon group.

The new centre will develop and validate electronic modules for audio products (radios, satellite digital radios, media players), instrument clusters, body control modules, adaptive lighting products, electronic climate controls, powertrain electronics and engine control modules.

The centre will also provide business process outsourcing support in the areas of supplier management, finance operations and environmental engineering.

It will be fully supported by two other existing Visteon entities, namely, Visteon Powertrain Control Systems India Private Ltd and Visteon Automotive Systems India Private Ltd.

''The new technical and service centre demonstrates our continuous commitment to India, which accounts for unprecedented growth in the automotive,'' said Visteon Corporation Senior Vice President Bob Pallash and Asia Pacific Customer Group President.

Located at Olympia Tech Park in Chennai, Visteon technical and services centre occupies four floors of the ''Fortius'' building.

The Chennai software operation has been growing steadily since its inception in 1998 and currently has 450 full time employees, including 400 software engineers and 50 business process employees.

''This new centre is another symbol of our expansion in the country and emphasises Visteon's strengths and world-class capabilities to deliver services globally and meet the unique requirements of customers in India,'' said Visteon India Managing Director A Viswanathan.

The employees deliver remarkable quality, innovation and performance standards. With its world-renowned IT skills and excellent automotive knowledge, India is fast emerging as an excellent base for prototyping, testing, validating and producing auto-components for the global market, he added.

With about 2,200 employees, Visteon has a significant presence in India in electronics, climate (car air conditioning and engine cooling systems), interior (instrument panel and door trims), rotating electronics and lighting systems.

Visteon Corporation is a leading global automotive supplier that designs, engineers and manufactures innovative climate control, interior, electronic and lighting products for vehicle manufacturers, and also provides a range of products and services to aftermarket customers.

UNI