Bengaluru hosts Boeing expansion

Team Udayavani, Jan 19, 2024, 11:24 AM IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to open Boeing’s biggest facility outside the USA in Bengaluru on Friday. This new Boeing India Engineering and Technology Center, (BIETC) costing Rs 1,600 crore, spans over 43 acres.

Here’s a simple overview of the new advanced facility that’s opening. It will welcome Indian talent, especially aiming to give chances to girls and women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.

BIETC is Boeing’s latest campus in India. The government says it plans to work closely with the country’s startups, private sector, and government.

The center will focus on creating new products and services for the worldwide aerospace and defense industry. The Prime Minister will also start the Boeing Sukanya Program, which aims to help more women from all over India join the aviation field.

The program will offer chances for girls and women to gain important STEM skills and prepare for aviation jobs. For young girls, it will set up STEM Labs at 150 places to encourage interest in STEM careers. It will also give scholarships to women who are training to become pilots.

BIETC aims to have over 3,000 varied engineers working to support the worldwide aerospace industry’s growth. Boeing states that these engineers are involved in research and development, participate in international markets, and use modern technologies like Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Industrial Internet of Things, Cloud Computing, Model-Based Engineering, and Additive Manufacturing.

Boeing plans to collaborate with India’s military to increase demand for aircraft in the defense sector and support the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative.

Boeing has opened up 107 job positions in various Indian cities, with 97 of these in Bengaluru. At the Bengaluru BIETC, they’re looking to hire people for various roles like software engineers, billing analysts, and more.

Boeing India has also called for applications for its 2023-24 Boeing University Innovation Leadership Development (BUILD) program, targeting university students and new startups in India. This is the third time they’re running this program, which aims to support young entrepreneurs in developing new ideas and creating market opportunities in different industries.

Additionally, Boeing is working with seven incubators in India to run the BUILD program. These include incubators at IIT Mumbai, IIT Delhi, IIT Gandhinagar, IIT Madras, IISC Bengaluru, T-Hub Hyderabad, and KIIT Bhubaneshwar.

Incubators in this context refer to organizations or programs that help new and startup companies to develop. They provide services like management training, office space, and sometimes financial support, with the aim of nurturing these young businesses until they become sustainable and successful on their own.

Boeing India says that they are dedicated to providing their Indian customers with the latest technology and are committed to contributing positively to India’s aerospace industry.

Boeing has built a strong network with over 300 Indian companies and a partnership for making parts of Apache helicopters and the 737 aircraft. They spend about $1 billion each year on sourcing from India. Currently, Boeing has over 6,000 employees in India, and an additional 13,000 people are working with their supply chain partners.

By Girish Linganna 

(The author of this article is a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach out to him at: [email protected])

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