Boeing India president: India can lead in next-generation innovation

Boeing India President Salil Gupte nurtures hope for innovation and growth in India. Salil Gupte, Boeing India President spoke at the recent symposium put together by the India Foundation for Quality Management, throwing light on the nation's capabilities to stand as a leader of the new products of the next generation through engineering and quality manufacturing. He urged Indian companies to take forward positions in the global supply chain.

Noted Gupte, "India has an incredible opportunity to merge great quality with its engineering capabilities," though automotive, industrial engineering and defence are promising areas for future growth. Note that India had built a strong foundation of engineering and design in the last 30-50 years, and then recent improvements in quality related to manufacturing enhanced this potential.

The country's supply chain was hailed by Boeing India president Girish Mathrubootham as one that "largely outperforms the supply chain globally in terms of quality by a very wide margin." He urged suppliers in India to advance from basic aerostructures and simple assemblies to more complex components, including avionic systems and engine manufacturing. "This is where the value is in that supply chain," said Gupte.

Gupte aptly highlighted the need for global diversification of the supply chain by stating, "The opportunity we cannot miss." He mentioned Boeing's growth in India and pointed out that the number of Boeing employees has increased from 1,500 five years ago to 7,000 today. He added that sourcing by Boeing in India is going multifold as annual procurement has gone from hundreds of crores to nearly Rs 10,000 crores.

With the transformation of India's manufacturing landscape, it waits to be seen in the light of the insides by Gupte on a transformed place of the country amidst global supply chains and innovative capacities on a pan-India basis.