Automotive GCCs in India are driving global innovation

The presence of technology, talent and leadership in India is driving the innovation agenda for the global capability centres (GCCs) of automotive companies in India, as these manufacturers continuously search for new features in their vehicles.

"The coming together of these three elements made India the first choice," says Eva James, VP - Global Service Delivery & Global HUB, Renault Nissan. She outlined the role of local talent during YourStory’s CRISE: GCC Edition (C Suite Revolutionising Innovation for Smart Enterprises), a special series spotlighting how India’s Global Capability Centres (GCCs) are becoming engines of global transformation.

The GCCs of automotive companies are a lesser-known facet of India’s technology industry as much attention is devoted towards those in the segments of financial services or healthcare.

According to James, the India GCC of Renault Nissan has attained the status of being the co-leader where several digital initiatives are undertaken in the country. “Today, a car is a computer with wheels or a data centre on wheels,” she remarked.

James said the transition of their India GCC as a value-creating entity was very organic and this has seen the organisation having talent who understand the business of making cars.

She highlighted that the days of just being technologists are long gone as these engineers need to understand the business aspects of the products they are engaged with.

Today, the global automotive industry is undergoing big changes, with electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles and connected services being key themes.

According to James, technologies such as artificial intelligence and computer vision are making these changes possible.

Through computer vision technology, the manufacturing process is witnessing things being done more quickly and efficiently with a significant reduction in human fatigue.

James said that AI has impacted every sphere of operations. However, she cautioned that governance structures are vital so that data is used with integrity.

The Renault Nissan GCC is in active collaboration with the startup community and academia, as it believes that these companies are a hotspot for new ideas. James said the company’s AI at scale programme looks at applying innovation at every function of its business.

The Renault Nissan GCC is also investing time with students to help them understand the key developments in automotive technologies.

According to James, GCCs with their wealth of knowledge and ecosystem of partners make them an ideal location for innovation.