HCL Makes a Mark at the Paris Air Show

At the Paris Air Show in june, HCL was one of two participants

from India to take up a "chalet" (prefab buildings erected for the

show, where aviation chiefs meet and do business). At the show, with over 2,000

exhibitors alongside the Le Bourget airfield, major companies rent chalets.

HCL also participated at the Farnborough Air Show in the UK last

year. The Paris Air Show and the Farnborough Air Show in London alternate each

year as the aviation industrys main event.

The other chalet from India at Paris was by HAL, Hindustan

Aeronautics, which demonstrated its Dhruv tactical support helicopter, amidst a

series of spectacular afternoon aerobatic displays by aircraft that ranged from

screaming supersonic fighters and a Bell tilt-rotor to the 555-seater Airbus

A380 super-jumbo.

HCL Technologies has been involved with aviation for several

years, and worked on a range of projects including the mammoth Airbus A380

super-jumbo. HCL is the first Indian IT solutions provider to get an AS-9100

certification.

At the Air Show, HCL announced an "expanded

relationship" with Rockwell Collins, a leading avionics and communications

company, to serve as an extension of the latters engineering centers. HCL

will deliver high value services such as software, hardware, and mechanical

engineering for full product lifecycle development, through 300 engineers,

professionals, and experts in Chennai and Bangalore. "These offshore

design and development centers will increase our presence, visibility, and

access to our customers in Asia, in addition to gaining increased efficiency

through 24x7 engineering operations," says Rockwell Collins COO Kelly

Ortberg.

HCL also announced a $15 mn deal with Alenia Aeronautica of

Italy, for engineering services to support improvement of the C-27J Spartan

aircraft production line. Alenia designs and produces high-performance combat

aircraft, special mission aircraft, commercial airliners, and the modern

tactical military airlifter, the C-27J. It also supplies aerostructures for

airliners including the Boeing 787 and Airbus A380. ATR, its joint venture with

EADS, dominates the regional turboprop market.

HCL Infosystems, the (Indian domestic) systems and services

company, participated in the Air Show to explore tie-ups with suppliers of ATC

and other aerospace equipment.

India was in focus as a potentially major buyer at the Air Show.

However, only Kingfisher made major purchase announcements, amidst budget

carriers struggling to manage costs. Kingfisher has signed up to buy 30 Airbus

long-haul aircraft, despite its A380 delivery being delayed to 2011. And Boeings

main commercial display was a new 777-300ER owned by Jet Airways, which has a

first class with enclosed cabins and doors, as in first-class train

compartments.

Prasanto K Roy

at the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport, France