Tata Research and Design Centre in India is global "think tank" hub now to be linked to Great Lakes Bay Region.
1,250 Jobs Potential in Planned Dow Chemical, Indian Company Tata Venture
Links of Great Lakes Bay Region to Global Trade Strengthened with Deal
November 15, 2009
By: Dave Rogers
The Great Lakes Bay Region will soon get a quantum boost in its ability to conduct global trade.
The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), of India, today announced plans to form an innovative business alliance that may bring about 1,250 jobs to the Great Lakes Bay Region.
The partnership to provide critical business services to Dow, its subsidiaries will also build a service center in Midland, the firms reported Thursday.
The alliance expands the Dow/TCS relationship, combining Dow's chemical industry knowledge and operations with the service delivery expertise of TCS.
"This strategic partnership will make our already lean and efficient corporate center even more so, by supporting a business services model that delivers world-class capabilities at an estimated 30 percent savings," said Dave Kepler, Dow executive vice president of Business Services. "This innovative approach uses a variable staffing model, centralizes activities and maximizes efficiencies to meet evolving business needs."
As part of this alliance and global network, Dow and TCS also are announcing plans to build a new strategic services center near the site of Dow/s global headquarters in Midland, Michigan, subject to the approval of state and local incentives.
Plans are to begin construction on a new facility next year, with the first phase of the project designed to accommodate 1,250 employees. In addition, TCS plans to expand its service offerings beyond Dow in the future, creating a service valley in central Michigan.
The alliance will provide operational capabilities that are essential to all businesses -- including a wide ranging set of capabilities from supply chain scheduling and planning, invoicing and data management, to accounts receivable and payables -- offering improved flexibility and efficiencies plus around-the-clock, around-the-globe service.
The alliance is expected ultimately to support a global network of service centers, including strategic centers in Midland and Mumbai, India; plus satellite centers in Shanghai, China; Terneuzen, The Netherlands and Sao Paulo, Brazil; and other sites as needed, leveraging the TCS network of locations, including 142 offices in 42 countries.
"The relationship with Dow is extremely strategic for TCS," said N. Chandrasekaran, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, TCS. "Leveraging our pioneering Global Network Delivery Model, TCS will provide business process services with a single quality standard worldwide to Dow, thereby enhancing the customer's quality of experience. Increasingly, global corporations understand and appreciate the value of using a truly global model for meeting their business needs."
Tata Consultancy Services is an IT (Information Technology) services, business solutions and outsourcing organization that delivers real results to global businesses, ensuring a level of certainty no other firm can match.
TCS offers a consulting-led, integrated portfolio of IT and IT-enabled services delivered through its unique Global Network Delivery Model, recognized as the benchmark of excellence in software development.
A part of the Tata Group, India's largest industrial conglomerate, TCS has over 140,000 of the world's best trained IT consultants in 42 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $6 billion for fiscal year ended 31 March 2009 and is listed on the National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange in India. More information about Tata Consultancy Services can be found at www.tcs.com.
The Tata Research Development and Design Centre (TRDDC) was established in 1981 as a division of Tata Consultancy Services Limited, India's largest IT consulting organization. TRDDC is today one of India's premier research and development centres in software engineering and process engineering.
R & D work at TRDDC leads to the creation of intellectual assets. These take the form of new technologies, models, tools and products that serve the needs of software engineering and TCS clients in a wide range of industry verticals.
TRDDC organizes regular workshops, seminars and conferences on advanced areas of R & D. Strong links are maintained with universities and academic institutions all over the world.
Dow is a diversified chemical company that the firm says "combines the power of science and technology with the 'Human Element' to constantly improve what is essential to human progress."
The Company delivers a broad range of products and services to customers in approximately 160 countries, connecting chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help provide everything from fresh water, food and pharmaceuticals to paints, packaging and personal care products.
In 2008, Dow had annual sales of $57.4 billion and employed approximately 46,000 people worldwide. The Company has 150 manufacturing sites in 35 countries and produces approximately 3,300 products.
On April 1, 2009, Dow acquired Rohm and Haas Company, a global specialty materials company with sales of $10 billion in 2008, 98 manufacturing sites in 30 countries and approximately 15,000 employees worldwide. More information can be found at www.dow.com.
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