US-based digital manufacturing company Fictiv opened its India headquarters in Bengaluru on Tuesday. It targets growing its India team by 50–75 per cent over the next 18 months.
The company plans to use a part of its recently secured $100 million Series E funding to expand globally and mitigate supply chain risks for its customers, it said in a press release.
The latest announcement comes after an initial launch in Pune. Its investment in India as its third manufacturing hub will complement its existing operations in the US and China.
“Our aim is to simplify sourcing and fulfil custom manufacturing. We are building the digital infrastructure that connects a highly fragmented network of global suppliers through a single technology platform to help companies build hardware at the speed of software,” said Dave Evans, Co-Founder and CEO of Fictiv.
“India has proven to be an emerging epicentre of R&D, manufacturing talent, and supply chain excellence. So we are thrilled to expand and formalise our investment here to connect our customers to the wealth of manufacturing talent in India, connect India’s manufacturers to the world, and strengthen industrial supply chains worldwide,” he added.
The company has appointed Uday Shenoy as General Manager. Shenoy brings over two decades of experience to the role, including supply chain and manufacturing operational knowledge from organisations such as Tata Advanced Systems Ltd., Bombardier Aerospace, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., and HCL Technologies, the company said.
“As General Manager of Fictiv India, my focus will be to hire the strongest manufacturing and engineering talent, attract quality-focused manufacturing partners, and uphold Fictiv’s values of service-mentality and creator spirit. With this goal in mind, we aim to recruit and nurture 100 talented individuals for our new Bengaluru headquarters within the next 18 months. We’re excited to grow throughout India, supporting our national mission to make in India and make for the world,” Shenoy said.
In addition to Pune, the new regional headquarters in Bengaluru will serve as the company’s manufacturing operations hub for India, staffed by manufacturing engineers, logistics coordinators, supplier quality engineers, and sourcing managers, among others.
The company, founded in 2013, says it has helped 3,200 companies launch new products. Fictiv has received $192 million from investors including Bill Gates, Honeywell, and Intel Capital, and has manufactured more than 20 million parts to date.