OEConnection (OEC) opened a new facility in Chennai, India, to build their digital expertise and improve their service offering globally. The expansion into a new Technology Centre of Excellence comes as a result of OEC’s growth, acting as an extension to the technology and operations teams in North America and Europe. Having a new base in India will allow OEC to offer support 24 hours a day to manufacturers, dealers, repairers and insurers around the world.
The new centre, that opened on 6 April, will welcome 300 employees, with OEC investing to attract and retain people with digital skills in the hub of automotive experience in Chennai. Known as the “Detroit of India”, Chennai is the Indian base for many leading global automotive companies, including Ford, Daimler, BMW, Renault, Nissan, Ashok Leyland and Mahindra & Mahindra.
Technology industry veteran Shanmugam Nagappan will head up the new facility in India, bringing his 27 years of experience in technology leadership to the company. Before joining OEC, Shanmugam was the chief operating officer for India at Replicon and managing director for India at Wolters Kluwer ELM Solutions and Pride Technologies.
Shanmugam said: “I am thrilled to be joining OEC at such an exciting time for the company. This expansion in India will make the most of the incredible pool of automotive and software talent in Chennai. We cannot wait to grow our team to build on our services and innovate new products for our customers around the world.”
Roger Heinz, managing director (International) for OEC, added, “Shanmugam’s experience will be a huge asset for our ambitious plans at the new Technology Centre of Excellence in Chennai. The office is well positioned to support our global operations and will enable us to offer support 24 hours a day to our customers across the aftersales industry.”
This article courtesy of Russell Thrall III, publisher CollisionWeek. Check out the website at: www.collisionweek.com.