Governor Eric J. Holcomb concluded a five-day economic development trade mission to India today, after meeting with government and business leaders in Agra, Bangalore, Mysore, Pune and Delhi to strengthen partnerships between Indiana and India and discussing opportunities to advance collaboration in business, education and workforce development initiatives.
“Business moves at the speed of relationships, and our relationship with India is stronger than ever before,” Governor Holcomb said. “India and Indiana are a natural match in a number of industries and this trade mission has already produced results. I’m thrilled to be the first sitting Indiana governor to visit India, and I look forward to the continued growth of this mutually beneficial partnership.”
During the trip, Governor Holcomb and Secretary of Commerce Jim Schellinger met with executives of India-based companies with Indiana operations and Indiana-based companies with India operations, including:
- AXISCADES, a Bangalore-based provider of product engineering solutions for engineering solutions to aerospace, defense, heavy engineering, automotive, energy, medical and health care companies announced plans to locate its North American headquarters in Indiana, with plans to launch operations in the spring of 2018 and create up to 500 new, high-wage jobs by the end of 2023.
- Infosys, a provider of technology and next-generation services, that is headquartered in India. In May, the company announced plans to establish a tech and innovation hub in central Indiana focused on cutting-edge technology, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, user experience, emerging digital technologies, cloud and big data. The company plans to create up to 2,000 new jobs over the next five years to support its growth and will also focus on training and workforce development initiatives to help fill the positions.
As part of that focus, Infosys and Purdue University have established a five-year agreement to propel technology innovation and workforce development, with Purdue providing classes and training for many of the company’s new hires as well as lifelong learning opportunities via specialist online courses for existing Infosys employees. Governor Holcomb and the Indiana delegation visited the company’s headquarters in Bangalore and traveled to its Mysore campus, a 330-acre operation that supports Infosys’ software development and education center.
- Cummins, which is headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, and operates on six continents and in more than 190 countries and territories around the world. In India, the company has 20 plants in addition to its Mumbai headquarters and employs more than 10,000 associates. Members of the delegation visited Cummins’ Pune, India, operations, touring the company’s new Technical Center and met with professors of the Cummins Women’s College of Engineering, which is dedicated to increasing the number of trained and educated women in STEM.
The governor and Secretary of Commerce also attended a business round table hosted by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry, joined by executives of India-based companies, including Tata Power, Wipro, Bharat Forge Ltd., and JSW Infrastructure Limited; Indiana-based companies with India operations, including ZimmerBiomet and Eli Lilly; as well as global businesses with operations in both India and Indiana, including ArcelorMittal and Lockheed Martin. During the event, the group discussed opportunities to partner across government, business and industry to advance innovation, workforce development and foreign direct investment.
During the trip, the Governor Holcomb and First Lady Janet Holcomb also met with U.S. and Indian government officials in Delhi to strengthen partnerships between Indiana and India, including Sushma Swaraj, Minister of External Affairs; CR Chaudhary, Minister for Commerce and Secretary; Dr. S. Jaishakar, Foreign Secretary; and officials of the U.S. Embassy. Earlier in the week, the governor also met with Karnataka Minister for IT, BT and Tourism Priyank Kharge to establish a sister-state relationship between Indiana and Karnataka, an Indian state home to Bangalore and growing tech industry.
And in Bangalore, Mrs. Holcomb focused on educational ties, visiting Christel House India – Bangalore, complementing her visit to Christel House Academy South in Indianapolis last month. Christel House India – Bangalore serves more than 1,200 students and is one of two schools in the country. The first lady joined the students for art class, computer lab and learned more about the school’s college and career program, which is designed to prepare K-12 students for life after high school.
Indiana and India share a number of economic, educational and cultural ties, and that trend continues to grow. Indiana exports to India, for example, have increased 117 percent since 2006, totaling $266.6 million in 2016, while India-based companies like Infosys, Appirio (which was acquired by Wipro) and AXISCADES have made significant job creation plans in recent years. Additionally, many of Indiana’s higher education institutes share ties to India with more than 3,600 Indian undergraduate, graduate and professional students studying at Indiana University and Purdue University alone last year. Purdue University is also home to the largest enrollment of Indian undergraduate students of any U.S. college or university, with 881 students in the fall of 2016.
To learn more about Governor Holcomb’s trade mission, visit www.in.gov/gov/india2017.
About IEDC
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) leads the state of Indiana’s economic development efforts, helping businesses launch, grow and locate in the state. Governed by a 15-member board chaired by Governor Eric J. Holcomb, the IEDC manages many initiatives, including performance-based tax credits, workforce training grants, innovation and entrepreneurship resources, public infrastructure assistance, and talent attraction and retention efforts. For more information about the IEDC, visit www.iedc.in.gov.