Thiruvananthapuram :
Nissan Motor Corporation signed a landmark agreement with the state government on Friday to establish its first digital innovation hub in Thiruvananthapuram .
Presiding over the signing-in ceremony, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the agreement marks the arrival of the first global brand to the state. The project will open up possibilities for Kerala industry in automotive vehicle technology, he said.
The company is expected to hire around 500 people for the facility by the year-end.
“The digital hub will be set up in a 70-acre campus at Technocity,” the chief minister said.
“The setting up of the centre will help create opportunities for both Nissan and the state. It will not only provide Nissan access to skilled and dedicated workforce, but will also allow Kerala to showcase its significant potential as a base for global business,” he added.
Outgoing state chief secretary Paul Antony said the chief minister has promised all support for the Japanese auto major. All clearances and facilitations will be done in a set time-frame and there will be no bureaucratic red tape, he said.
The Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) CEO KM Abraham, who dubbed Nissan as priceless investors in his speech, said the global corporation was a leader in transfer of product development knowledge which would fuel the growth of automotive vehicle industry.
Commending the commitment of the chief minister, he said six months after the government officials visited the company’s global headquarters in Yokohoma, the deal to set up the hub was finalised.
The entire negotiation process was smooth under the CM’s watchful eyes, he said.
Further, he said Nissan Motors corporate vice-president and chief information officer Tony Thomas served as the prime mover in championing the cause of bringing the company to Kerala.
Speaking at the event, Thomas said: “The new digital hub will serve as an important engine to drive Nissan’s global digital transformation. It will offer product development to automotive industry and is expected to generate 500 new high-end jobs in Thiruvananthapuram in the first phase.”
Nissan’s Africa, Middle East and India region chairman Peyman Kargar said, “Creation of Nissan’s first global digital hub in India reflects our commitment to the growing market and our belief in investing in India for the long-term. It also intends to harness the skills and talents of the region for the growing automotive industry”.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Thiruvananthapuram News / TNN / June 30th, 2018