Aerospace major Boeing Company expects to further consolidate its presence in India, including its sourcing business, as it steps up its engagement with the Tatas and other suppliers.

Leanne Caret, Boeing’s Executive Vice-President and President and Chief Executive Officer of its Defence, Space & Security unit, said: “We’ve invested tremendously in India because the future here is extremely bright. We’ve quadrupled our sourcing from India in the past two years to more than $1 billion.”

“We are investing in talent, training and skills development to get frontline factory workers and technicians ready for advanced aerospace manufacturing and ready to deliver world class quality around the globe. The company is expanding its partnerships in India beyond products and services to build a diverse talent pool for future growth,” she said.

Speaking at the Tata Boeing Aerospace facility at Adibatla, about 45 km from here, where Apache helicopter fuselages and aero structures will be made, Caret said: “I am thrilled to be here as we celebrate this next step, not only with a ribbon-cutting for this beautiful facility, but with the continued, on-going advancement of aerospace manufacturing in India.”

“We see tremendous value in this facility. The best is yet to come. I can’t think of a better partner than Tata, which has a strong track record with Boeing’s programmes such as the P-8I and the 787,” she further said.

“Here, together, we are building the world’s most advanced attack helicopter but there are already plans for us to build and support other systems too.”

“We recently expanded our partnership beyond just products and services to building a diverse talent pool. We’re working with customers, suppliers and Indian universities to make sure we are getting the very best people in the best roles,” she said.

Huge opportunities are on the horizon. India has been a strong, steady, strategic partner to the US and to Boeing, she added.

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