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Maintaining a flawless supply chain and creating
a global asset management pool is the American
aviation major’s priority. With a thrust
on the expansion strategy for the Services Solutions
business, close to 8,000 aircraft under performance
based agreements, more than 1,000 parts shipped
every day, Rockwell Collins aims to expand its
global footprint stated Colin Mahoney, Senior
Vice President, International and Service Solutions,
in an exclusive conversation with India
Strategic.
Present in 27 countries with service centres
in thirteen countries their priority is the state-of-the-art
asset management programme. With India, the company
also has a growing relationship with the commercial
aviation market. Air India has entrusted Rockwell
to manage all their avionics assets on the Boeing
787 which include logistics, management and maintenance
repair and overhaul.
“Developing our strength in India is a
special and extremely important step in achieving
global aims. We plan to grow our Service Solutions
business in India by offering performance based
programmes, such as FlexForce for military customers,
Dispatch for next generation commercial aircraft,
and Corporate Aircraft Service Programmes (CASP)
for business aircraft. We had sold our 721S radios
for the Indian Air Force’s advanced telemetry
system. Our RT8400 Software Defined Radio (SDR),
aviation products like ProLine Fusion, HeliSure
and Patrol Persistent Surveillance System (PPSS)
for physical security of borders, power plants
and infrastructure have attracted attention at
the recently concluded Defexpo,” he informed.
US success in NATO countries, Australia and
all countries where technology is required has
made India a preferable FMS market for USA. But
despite such contracts, Indian market is all about
low cost. “Keeping this in mind Co-teaming,
Co-development and Co-production are Rockwell’s
steps in the strategy for India. So assembly by
harnessing Indian technical power is a great solution.
Keeping this in mind, we have set up partnerships
with both public and private centres in India.
We have done several presentations on our two
sets of products - SatCom for communication infrastructure
which will really enable the communications for
a vast network; and secondly, PPSS for the security
systems that monitor broad range of territories
without deploying extensive manpower. PPSS is
just apt for border and airport perimeter security.”
he added.
Electronic counter-counter measure equipment
and GPS on aircraft are supplied to Indian defence
forces through Electronics Corporation of India
Ltd (ECIL). Rockwell Collins teaming agreement
with Tata Power Strategic Engineering Division
(Tata Power SED), as part of their pursuit of
the Indian Air Force (IAF) Software Defined Radio
programme, provides Indian defence with not only
a local, long-term support and maintenance provider,
but also access to state-of-the-art technology
within the country.
Rockwell also has had a long standing relationship
with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd communication and
navigation equipment for Dornier 228 where the
end customers are Navy, Coast Guard and the IAF.
The company’s India Design Centre in Hyderabad
supports aerospace OEMs, and contractors with
engineering design services and systems that can
help customers achieve a shorter time to market,
at a lower programme or project life cycle cost,
with the highest quality innovative solutions,
reiterated Mahoney. He also stressed that the
company’s strength in network-enabled communications,
advanced, integrated avionics and communications
systems for fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, precision
navigation and nose to tail systems for unmanned
aerial vehicles (UAVs) aligns well with India’s
needs, which is an existing market in India.
For the uninitiated, Rockwell Collins’
aviation technology is all set to enter the world
of Formula 1 racing under a strategic agreement
with Caterham F1 Team. On being asked whether
Indian automobile industry could be a future market,
Mahoney added that the size and interests of the
Formula 1 audience perfectly compliments Rockwell
Collins’ international growth strategy to
establish stronger local presence in key markets.
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