New automotive embedded software facility to house more than 1,000 software employees

Global automotive supplier Visteon Corporation has announced the opening of the $10 million Visteon Technical and Services Center in Chennai, India. The 110,000 square-foot facility is set to become Visteon’s center of excellence for automotive embedded software, providing support to Visteon globally, including joint ventures and aftermarket business. The Indian arm of Visteon software development accounts for more than 50 percent of the global software development within Visteon.

The new center will build on the strong capability of the India software team to develop and validate electronic modules for audio products (radios, satellite digital radios, media players), instrument clusters, body control modules, adaptive lighting products, electronic climate controls, powertrain electronics and engine control modules, center displays and other products.

The center will also provide business process outsourcing support in the areas of supplier management, finance operations and environmental engineering. Visteon Technical and Services Center will be fully supported by two other existing Visteon entities: Visteon Powertrain Control Systems India Private Ltd., and Visteon Automotive Systems India Private Ltd.

“The new technical and service center demonstrates our continuous commitment to India,” said Bob Pallash, senior vice president of Visteon Corporation and president of Asia Pacific Customer Group. “This development center will play a crucial role in further driving our success worldwide. With the Indian automotive sector poised for unprecedented growth, our Indian operations are a critical asset in further developing Visteon’s competitive edge.”

Located at Olympia Tech Park, an information technology park in the business district of Chennai, Visteon Technical and Services Center occupies four floors of the “Fortius” building. The new facility is expected to accommodate more than 700 software professionals and 250 business process professionals. The Chennai software operation has been growing steadily since its inception in 1998 and currently has 450 full time employees, including 400 software engineers and 50 business process employees.

“This new center is another symbol of our expansion in the country and emphasizes Visteon’s strengths and world-class capabilities to deliver services globally and meet the unique requirements of customers in India,” said A. Viswanathan, managing director, Visteon India. “The employees deliver remarkable quality, innovation and performance standards. With its world- renowned IT skills and excellent automotive knowledge, India is fast emerging as an excellent base for prototyping, testing, validating and producing auto- components for the global market.”

With approximately 2,200 employees, Visteon has a significant presence in India in electronics, climate (car air conditioning and engine cooling systems), interior (instrument panel and door trims), rotating electronics and lighting systems. Visteon facilities in India include:

* Climate Systems India Limited, (joint venture, Bhiwadi)
* Visteon Automotive Systems India Private Ltd. (Chennai Plant)
* Visteon Automotive Systems India Private Ltd. (Pune Plant)
* Visteon Powertrain Control Systems India Private Ltd. (Chennai)
* TATA Visteon Automotive Private Ltd. (joint venture, Pune)
* TACO Visteon Engineering Private Ltd. (joint venture, Pune)

For more than 10 years, Visteon has been growing its presence in Asia Pacific. Today, Visteon operates more than 30 manufacturing facilities in the region, located throughout China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, the Philippines and India, serving global and regional automakers. Visteon is a leader in delivering climate, interior and electronics components and systems to its customers in what has become the fastest-growing automotive market in the world.