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Aircraft cabin interiors major Jamco Interiors will invest at least $150 million in India over the next few years, expand its engineering and supply chain footprint, and position the country as a global Centre of Excellence for aircraft cabin products, Executive Chair and CEO Kate Schaefer told CNBC-TV18.
The announcement comes as the Bain Capital-backed company inaugurated its first India engineering Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Pune, a facility that will undertake end-to-end product engineering for complex aircraft cabin systems rather than operate as a conventional outsourcing centre.
“We are looking to spend at least $150 million over the next couple of years in sourcing very high-end engineering talent,” Schaefer said, adding that the company plans to hire between 50 and 100 engineers initially, while also significantly increasing outsourcing opportunities across the Indian supply chain.
Jamco, one of the world’s largest aircraft cabin interiors suppliers, said India is becoming central to its long-term global strategy because of its engineering talent and manufacturing capabilities.
“India is one of, if not the place for engineering talent in the world,” Schaefer said. “As we expand our engineering presence, we’ll also be expanding our manufacturing engineering presence and looking to bring a lot of new products into the supply chain.”
The Pune Centre of Excellence will handle the complete product engineering lifecycle, including concept development, system architecture, detailed design, certification support, drawing release and configuration control. The company said the facility will have full engineering ownership and be deeply integrated into Jamco’s global engineering organisation.
According to the company, the centre marks a shift from outsourced engineering support to full-scale product development and leadership. Schaefer said the long-term vision is to make India a global design and innovation hub within the organisation.
“What we would like to see happen in India is for India to become a Centre of Excellence for design,” she said. “Not so much about outsourcing engineering from headquarters, but really making India the headquarters-level Centre of Excellence for lavatories and galleys going forward.”
The company currently holds a dominant position in aircraft cabin systems globally. Jamco supplies approximately 50% of the world’s widebody aircraft lavatories, including all lavatories installed on Boeing 787 and Boeing 777 aircraft. It also supplies around 40% of the world’s widebody galleys, including 100% of the galleys on the Boeing 787 and ICE galleys on the Airbus A350.
The India expansion comes less than a year after Bain Capital acquired Jamco Interiors. Since the acquisition, the company has completed three acquisitions globally and is actively evaluating additional opportunities.
“We have made three acquisitions since Bain Capital invested in the company and we will be making several more in the near future,” Schaefer said.
She also indicated that India could become part of the company’s acquisition strategy as the aerospace ecosystem matures.
“Absolutely a possibility,” Schaefer said when asked about potential acquisitions in India. “The acquisitions we’re looking at are all over the world and I absolutely could see in the future there being an Indian acquisition as well.”
Unlike many aerospace companies that operate from a central headquarters, Jamco follows a globally distributed operating model, with teams spread across multiple geographies including Japan, Europe, the United States and now India.
The company believes India’s combination of engineering talent, manufacturing capabilities and a rapidly growing aerospace ecosystem makes it well placed to play a larger role in global aircraft cabin innovation as airlines continue to invest in premium travel experiences and next-generation cabin products.
The Pune facility is expected to become a key node in Jamco’s global engineering network, supporting future product development, certification programmes and innovation initiatives for airlines and aircraft manufacturers worldwide.
Also Read: Bharat Electronics secures ₹1,081 crore additional orders since May 25 disclosure
The announcement comes as the Bain Capital-backed company inaugurated its first India engineering Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Pune, a facility that will undertake end-to-end product engineering for complex aircraft cabin systems rather than operate as a conventional outsourcing centre.
“We are looking to spend at least $150 million over the next couple of years in sourcing very high-end engineering talent,” Schaefer said, adding that the company plans to hire between 50 and 100 engineers initially, while also significantly increasing outsourcing opportunities across the Indian supply chain.
Jamco, one of the world’s largest aircraft cabin interiors suppliers, said India is becoming central to its long-term global strategy because of its engineering talent and manufacturing capabilities.
“India is one of, if not the place for engineering talent in the world,” Schaefer said. “As we expand our engineering presence, we’ll also be expanding our manufacturing engineering presence and looking to bring a lot of new products into the supply chain.”
The Pune Centre of Excellence will handle the complete product engineering lifecycle, including concept development, system architecture, detailed design, certification support, drawing release and configuration control. The company said the facility will have full engineering ownership and be deeply integrated into Jamco’s global engineering organisation.
According to the company, the centre marks a shift from outsourced engineering support to full-scale product development and leadership. Schaefer said the long-term vision is to make India a global design and innovation hub within the organisation.
“What we would like to see happen in India is for India to become a Centre of Excellence for design,” she said. “Not so much about outsourcing engineering from headquarters, but really making India the headquarters-level Centre of Excellence for lavatories and galleys going forward.”
The company currently holds a dominant position in aircraft cabin systems globally. Jamco supplies approximately 50% of the world’s widebody aircraft lavatories, including all lavatories installed on Boeing 787 and Boeing 777 aircraft. It also supplies around 40% of the world’s widebody galleys, including 100% of the galleys on the Boeing 787 and ICE galleys on the Airbus A350.
The India expansion comes less than a year after Bain Capital acquired Jamco Interiors. Since the acquisition, the company has completed three acquisitions globally and is actively evaluating additional opportunities.
“We have made three acquisitions since Bain Capital invested in the company and we will be making several more in the near future,” Schaefer said.
She also indicated that India could become part of the company’s acquisition strategy as the aerospace ecosystem matures.
“Absolutely a possibility,” Schaefer said when asked about potential acquisitions in India. “The acquisitions we’re looking at are all over the world and I absolutely could see in the future there being an Indian acquisition as well.”
Unlike many aerospace companies that operate from a central headquarters, Jamco follows a globally distributed operating model, with teams spread across multiple geographies including Japan, Europe, the United States and now India.
The company believes India’s combination of engineering talent, manufacturing capabilities and a rapidly growing aerospace ecosystem makes it well placed to play a larger role in global aircraft cabin innovation as airlines continue to invest in premium travel experiences and next-generation cabin products.
The Pune facility is expected to become a key node in Jamco’s global engineering network, supporting future product development, certification programmes and innovation initiatives for airlines and aircraft manufacturers worldwide.
Also Read: Bharat Electronics secures ₹1,081 crore additional orders since May 25 disclosure
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