Ex- Satyamite roped in to bolster Hinduja tech arm

As part of its diversification and de-risking strategy, Hindujas have decided to spruce up its technology arm, Defiance Tech Pvt Ltd, to become one of the top 10 integrated engineering, manufacturing and enterprise (EME) solutions providers in the world. Defiance is a leading engineering service provider with a focus on automobile segment and jointly promoted by Ashok Leyland Ltd (ASHOKLEY.NS : 51.15 -0.05) and Hinduja Automotive.

Headquartered in Detroit, Defiance has been so far focusing on automotive segment with its design and engineering technology capabilities. In order to become one of the top 10 players in the world on the $250-billion EME segment, the company has chalked out a new strategy and is expanding itself to serve other industry verticals such as aerospace, defence, agricultural equipment and industrial segments, said V Sumantran, Defiance chairman and Hinduja Automotive Ltd executive vice-chairman.

"We have roped in Subu D Subramanian, the former head of manufacturing, ERP and engineering services of Satyam Computers (SATYAM.BO : 90.55 -2.2), to spearhead the initiative in a big way to make Defiance the leading EME player in the world," Sumantran said.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, he said, "We have been active in de-risking ourselves from the dependence of commercial vehicles segment, which is going through cyclical ups and downs over the years. Towards this, we have roped in Nissan for LCV, John Dheer for earth equipment and Siemens VDO for automotive electronics. The next logical step would be to spruce up our tech capabilities further to become a leading player in our core areas."

Defiance, with a client base of 140 across the US and Europe (mainly automotive) will spread its wings to the Asia Pacific, Middle East and India and will add 4,000 people in the next three years to become a 5,000 strong company. "We don't want to become an IT player, rather we want to strengthen ourselves in our core areas to become a niche player," Sumantran said.

"Out of the 140 clients, nearly 30 are Fortune 500 clients who have been with us for quite long," said Subu D Subramanian, CEO of Defiance Tech.

"While a number of companies in the world have specialised in engineering, manufacturing or enterprise solutions, Defiance is one among a very few in the world to possess all these capabilities. Today, customers require niche interface solutions that connect the engineering and enterprise domains to enhance the supply chain efficiency and improve overall productivity. Defiance can provide these integrate capabilities, using its unique interface solution," he said.

Global IT market is estimated to be over $1 trillion, out of which engineering, enterprise and manufacturing solutions market holds nearly 23%.