FCA to invest $150 million in setting up Global Digital Hub in Hyderabad
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) today announced its decision to invest $150 million to set up a new Global Digital Hub in Hyderabad. FCA ICT India, FCA’s new innovation and technology development facility is the company’s largest Digital Hub outside of North America and EMEA. The investment significantly expands the automobile manufacturing group’s presence in the country.
FCA ICT India will create nearly 1,000 new cutting-edge technology jobs by the end of 2021 and has plans to increase hiring over the next two to three years. The newly recruited employees will work on exciting products and concepts that will define the future of mobility at FCA. The Global Digital Hub will serve as a ‘transformation and innovation engine’ for FCA and drive global IT strategy, and deliver excellence through a robust platform, technology and service centers of excellence. The Global Digital Hub will focus on building strategic competencies in niche technology areas such as connected vehicle programs, artificial intelligence, data accelerators, and cloud technologies, among others.
FCA has been expanding its manufacturing and engineering footprint across India for the past two decades and the new Global Digital Hub in Hyderabad marks FCA’s continued commitment to tap into India’s world class digital and IT talent.
“In the digital era, data is the new currency. Our goal is to build an innovation powerhouse that harnesses the intelligence enabled by data to build exciting new products and services to deliver at the speed of our customers’ expectations,” said Mamatha Chamarthi, CIO, FCA, North America and Asia Pacific. “One of the key objectives of FCA ICT India is to digitalize every aspect of FCA’s automotive operations globally and within India, and to shift from legacy to digital through adoption of emerging technologies. We are fostering a strong, global culture of innovation and entrepreneurship to promote agility at scale, and drive customer-centricity.”
The availability of talent coupled with a culture of innovation and pro-business policies played a major role in FCA’s decision to set-up the facility in Hyderabad. The Global Digital Hub will also expand FCA’s relationships with several ecosystem partners, including strategic partners, start-ups, digital accelerators and universities, to accelerate our innovation agenda.
“We are working closely with strategic technology partners to accelerate our talent and competency ramp-up at FCA ICT India,” Karim Lalani, Director and Head of FCA ICT India. “We are also aggressively hiring, and the response has been overwhelming. I am excited to see the new ideas and technologies our talented engineers and data scientists will develop for our customers. We foresee our Global Digital Hub driving innovation in multiple areas, including customer safety, connected mobility and digital showroom experience. We are excited to build a truly pioneering, global digital hub that will strengthen FCA’s position as a global mobility leader.”
FCA has a major presence in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, with headquarters in Mumbai and employs over 3,000 people. With the Global Digital Hub, FCA will be expanding its presence in Telangana. The company has a joint venture vehicle and powertrain manufacturing facility in Ranjangaon, Maharashtra. The company’s engineering and product development operations are located in Pune and Chennai.
“The $150 million investment to set up a Global Digital Hub in Hyderabad, Telangana cements our continued commitment to India and our customers,” said Dr. Partha Datta, President and Managing Director, FCA India. “FCA ICT India will be our technology backbone that will not only help us develop products for future mobility but will also sharpen our efforts to enhance customer-centricity. This is a significant step forward in realizing our vision to make our Indian operations more capable to develop digitally-driven products and technologies locally for India and also for the world.”
