The two firms will collaborate to design and build cutting-edge digital solutions for aerospace and defence.
Defence PSU (public sector undertaking) Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Tech Mahindra, a leading provider of digital transformation, IT and business re-engineering services and solutions, announced on Friday their collaboration to design and build cutting edge digital solutions for aerospace and defence. They signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at DefExpo India 2020, Lucknow, to jointly develop solutions in the field of Defence products and systems for the Armed Forces leveraging next generation technologies like A&D Engineering Services, 5G and CyberSecurity.
Anandi Ramalingam, Director Marketing, Bharat Electronics Limited, said: “The MoU will enable BEL and Tech Mahindra to make joint efforts to seize the opportunities available in the domestic markets on the back of the policy initiatives of the Indian government such as Make-in-India. It will further support in tapping into global markets for export of defence products produced by the individual companies or jointly developed and produced by the two companies, leveraging on the Export Promotion Policy of the Ministry of Defence, Government of India.
Sujit Baksi, Head APAC Business and President Corporate Affairs, Tech Mahindra, said, “Tech Mahindra’s collaboration with Bharat Electronics extends our vision of supporting government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative to enhance our indigenous capabilities and build a robust $5 trillion Indian economy. It is also in line with our TechMNxt charter that focuses on leveraging new generation technologies to deliver an enhanced experience to our customers. With Tech Mahindra’s global footprint, this collaboration will not only provide cutting edge design solutions to the Indian Armed forces, but also help intapping export opportunities.”
Anandi Ramalingam, Director (Marketing), BEL, and Sujit Baksi, Head APAC Business and President Corporate Affairs, Tech Mahindra, signed the MoU documents in the presence of Gowtama M.V., CMD, BEL. Guided by a vision to make the country self-reliant in Defence electronics, BEL was set up in Bengaluru in 1954 by the Government of India under the Ministry of Defence (MoD). From a humble beginning, BEL has come a long way. It is now a Navratna PSU and India’s foremost Defence electronics company. BEL is a multi-product, multi-technology, multi-Unit conglomerate having products in the areas of Radars, Missile Systems, Military Communications, Naval Systems, Electronic Warfare & Avionics, C4I Systems, Electro Optics, Tank Electronics & Gun/Weapon System Upgrade in the Defence segment. BEL’s non-Defence business segment includes areas such as Homeland Security & Smart Cities, Solar, Satellite Integration & Space Electronics, Railways, Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Software as a Service, Energy Storage Products and Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), besides Composite Shelters & Masts.
BEL’s customers include the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Paramilitary Force, Police, state government departments and consumers of professional electronic components. BEL has a three-layer R&D setup comprising Central Research Labs at Bengaluru and Ghaziabad for carrying out futuristic, cutting-edge research, Product Development &Innovation Centre at Bengaluru for development of various sub-systems/products and D&E Divisions at its Units and SBUs for development of systems and products. BEL has extensive infrastructure; its manufacturing network is spread over nine units located across the country. BEL invests about 9% of its turnover in R&D. This has paid off as about 96% of BEL’s sales revenue in 2018-19 accrued from indigenous technology.
Tech Mahindra represents the connected world, offering innovative and customer-centric information technology experiences, enabling Enterprises, Associates and the Society to Rise. Tech Mahindra is a $4.9 billion company with 131,500 plus professionals across 90 countries, helping 946 global customers, including Fortune 500 companies. It is part of the $21 billion Mahindra Group that employs over 200,000 people in over 100 countries. The Group operates in the key industries that drive economic growth, enjoying a leadership position in tractors, utility vehicles, after-market, information technology and vacation ownership.