Growth Strategy: Altran to Expand India Operations; Acquisitions in Pipeline to Grow to 2000 High Technology Experts

BANGALORE, India, April 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

French major eyes Aerospace/Defense for growth as Offset Clause takes off

Altran, the global leader in innovation and high-tech engineering consulting, today announced plans to significantly expand its India operations in order to tap the domestic market as well as support its global clients with a strong domain leadership across several verticals from South Asia.

The Altran group employs 17,000 employees worldwide and India will be strategic for the growth of the company. As India moves into the next stage of growth in the core sectors, the country has emerged as a key market with strong potential for Altran's business practices in Aerospace, Automotive, Railways and Energy.

The firm is looking at both organic and inorganic routes to scale up operations to reach a workforce of 2,000 high technology experts over the next two years in India. A few companies operating in niche sectors are among the targeted acquisitions.

"At present, we are conducting discussions with several key players, we expect to announce these acquisitions as soon as we complete the due diligence  process. We believe that these acquisitions will strengthen our existing capabilities in order to enhance our offerings," commented Mr. Michel Bailly, Chief Technical Officer of the Altran group.

Altran's main global accounts are already engaged within India and include Airbus, Alstom Transportation, Renault, etc. With Offset Clause requirements as mandated by the Indian government in Defense deals now being firmly embedded in domestic defense procurement contracts, Altran sees a substantial opportunity in the Defense and Aerospace sectors in the years ahead given its expertise in helping develop cutting edge technology in Aerospace engineering.

"In India, Aerospace engineering is growing. Going forward, there will be greater emphasis on technology-driven ventures as the Offset Clause gains momentum. We already have the capabilities to convert such deals into a win-win situation. We are working with some of the top European Aerospace companies in India. Our objective is to ensure that we serve both Indian as well as international partners from this geography," pointed out Mr. Sanjay Kumar, CEO of Altran India.

As an international group, Altran operates in over twenty countries throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas. As a strategic partner, Altran offers its customers global project support while guaranteeing a consistent level of service. In order to offer specific support to dedicated local markets, including India, Altran has chosen to keep a local dimension.

In accordance with the Group's strategy, announced on 19 October 2011, Altran is focusing on 4 main pillars: develop Asia, give priority to 6 European countries through organic growth and acquisitions, expand globally on Embedded & Critical Systems and Product Lifecycle Management, develop our strategy for large accounts.  This will enable Altran to reach a turning point in its development, observed Mr. Bailly.

In order to achieve this, Mr. Sanjay Kumar has been appointed as the CEO of India operations. His mandate is to ensure that India contributes significantly to Altran's global earnings over the next few years.

Altran and Solar Impulse: a human and technological adventure

Altran is the official engineering partner of Solar Impulse, the world's first solar-powered aircraft. It took seven years of studies, simulation, construction and tests to achieve the first solar day-and-night flight in history for 26 hours, 10 minutes and 19 seconds, using no fuel and propelled by solar energy alone.

"We have such exciting technologies from our global R&D teams. I am sure that Altran and the Indian Aerospace industry will forge a symbiotic relationship in the coming days in order to revolutionize the way innovative products are being developed," added Mr. Sanjay.

About Altran

As global leader in innovation and high-tech engineering consulting, Altran supports companies in the creation and development of their new products and services. For thirty years, the Group has been providing services to key players in the fields of Aerospace, Automotive, Energy, Railways, Finance, Healthcare, Telecoms...

Present at every stage of project development from new-technology strategic planning through to manufacturing, Altran is able to capitalise on its expertise in four key domains: Product Lifecycle Management, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering & Embedded Systems and IT Systems.

With a global network of 17,000 collaborators (including 15,000 consultants), throughout more than 20 countries, and 500 major clients, the Group reported sales of €1,420m in 2011.

Altran is traded on Euronext Paris, Compartment B, is eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD) and is listed notably on the SBF 120, NEXT 150, CAC MID 60, and CAC TECHNOLOGY indices.

http://www.altran.com