UK Innovation in India - Cobham plc
Cobham Plc is placing itself firmly on the radar of Indian aerospace and defence industries.
Dorset-based high tech engineering company Cobham specialises in the development, delivery and support of leading-edge aerospace and defence systems. Its portfolio encompasses an innovative range of products, including satellite communications, defence electronics, and air-to-air refuelling equipment.
Cobham’s clients are predominantly military and government entities, although it also has some commercial customers, such as Airbus and Boeing. The company employs 13,500 people around the world working in its four divisions: avionics and surveillance; defence systems; mission systems and aviation services. With major operations in the US, Australia, Canada and France, and smaller operations around Europe and South Africa, Cobham is still primarily a FTSE listed, UK company.
“Our products are of interest to the global aerospace and defence sectors,” says Lee Griffiths, Director, India at Cobham Plc. “We have a reputation for being innovative, and pride ourselves on delivering reliable equipment and services to people whose lives and livelihoods depend on them. Having successfully established ourselves in various regions, we recognised that India was an important market. Whilst Cobham has had a presence there for many years, recently we have begun to focus on finding suitable partners for joint development and manufacturing, which we see as being key to our continued growth in India.”
Focus on India
In early 2008, Lee Griffiths was tasked with setting up Cobham’s India Liaison Office in New Delhi, which acts as a focus for all Cobham companies looking to do business in the Indian market. Having worked at the Ministry of Defence before joining Cobham, he was aware of the help and services UK Trade & Investment have to offer UK companies pursuing business overseas. So, in April 2008, he visited UK Trade & Investment in Delhi to introduce the company and catch up with old colleagues.
The team at UK Trade & Investment was preparing for its UK Advanced Engineering Showcase in India the following month. The event was designed to showcase the best of British advanced engineering and help UK companies win new business in India. Lee Griffiths was invited to attend and give a presentation about Cobham, to illustrate the advanced engineering capabilities that it offers.
“By attending UK Trade & Investment’s UK Showcase in India, we hoped to raise our brand awareness in India and position ourselves firmly in the Indian advanced engineering market – particularly aerospace,” says Lee Griffiths. “Bangalore is an important networking and manufacturing location, and the event gave us the opportunity to meet with old colleagues and potential new partners. The format of the event was different from anything we’d done before, with people stopping by to hear different presentations throughout the day. I presented to around 30 people, and have had follow up contact with several since.”
Great potential
Lee Griffiths firmly believes that there is great potential for UK companies in India.
“The UK brand is well recognised in India. We share strong historic, cultural and linguistic links which makes it easier for UK companies like ours to find suitable, like-minded partners, and of course customers, than it would be in some other countries. This doesn’t always guarantee that we will win the business, but it gives us a head start. The key to success in India is to make sure you are visible, establish a local presence and build up a brand name that they know, trust and understand. The UK has world-leading technology, so there are opportunities out there for companies that are willing to partner with Indian companies to develop a manufacturing base.”
