Akshay Sahni, Incoming Country Director, Chevron India
Chevron, a global energy solutions provider, is investing $1 billion in a new research and development (R&D) center called the Chevron Engineering and Innovation Excellence Center (ENGINE) in Bengaluru. It is the company’s first large-scale engineering and innovation center in India.
Chevron ENGINE, to be located near Bellandur, will hire talent with specialized skills spanning both engineering and digital services, with approximately 600 positions to be filled by the end of 2025, and plans to add more positions over time.
Akshay Sahni, country director for Chevron India, said the establishment of the centre marks an important milestone in Chevron’s 145-year history. In addition to a large technical centre in Houston (US) and California, the company has a few smaller laboratories in Aberdeen. India will be home to one of the company’s largest technology centres.
“We believe this is an exciting time for the energy sector, with the dual challenge of meeting growing energy demands while also building a lower-carbon energy system for the future. And the people at ENGINE will help work towards those technological solutions,” he told Business Standard in a video interview.
The company plans to recruit and hire staff from all engineering disciplines: mechanical, chemical, computer science and electrical. It will also hire specialists in geology, geophysics and environmental sciences.
Sahni stressed that the $1 billion investment not only means a financial commitment but also global knowledge sharing. “We will see collaborative partnerships that will result in technology solutions developed at scale in Bangalore. We strongly believe that there will be a need to build partnerships between the immense talent available in India and some of our subject matter experts around the world.”
The center will focus on improving operational reliability, low-carbon energy solutions and subsurface geology for carbon storage. Sahni noted that Chevron’s relationship with third-party technology services will continue to be beneficial, with plans for both external partnerships and internal collaborations.
Sahni also added that setting up its own hub in India does not mean that the relevance of third-party technology services will diminish.
He added that Chevron has been present in India for many years and that the firm’s relationship with technology services companies has been beneficial. “Technology services companies have helped us design some of our most complex operational projects and facilities. We want to increase and develop the experience we have had with engineering services companies,” he said.
Sahni also said that the company will need all kinds of partnerships, including those with external service providers. “In some cases, we see this increasing; since we are now in India, we will be able to collaborate with more partners than before. But in some cases we will also be able to bring in-house work,” he said.
Chevron in India recently entered into a partnership with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation. Chevron Brands, a subsidiary of Chevron Corporation, has signed a long-term agreement to introduce Chevron lubricant products. Chevron is one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world, with a presence in over 150 countries.
Solid base
> In FY23, India had over 1,580 GCCs
> India accounts for half of the world’s GCC countries
The country is projected to have over 1,900 GCCs by 2025 with a market size of $60 billion.
> In Q4 FY23 alone, 10 GCCs were established, of which 60% were in E&RD
Source: Nasscom-KPMG
First published: August 21, 2024 | 7:15 a.m. IS
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