Japanese auto major Nissan Motor Co has signed a MoU with the Kerala government for its first global centre for digital operations in India and said it will hire around 500 people for the facility by the end of this fiscal. The Nissan Digital Hub, to be set up here, is the first of a number of software and information technology development centres planned in Asia, Europe and North America, the company said. Nissan's Corporate vice-president and chief information officer Tony Thomas and state chief secretary Paul Antony signed the agreement in the presence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who said the 'landmark' announcement marked the arrival of the first global brand to the southern state.

According to the company officials, once fully operational, the hub will provide a range of in-house services to strengthen Nissan's digital capabilities in the country and other global markets. The hub would allow the company to provide 'best-in-class' user experience, product development capabilities, security and connectivity as the automotive industry evolves, with growing use of autonomous, connected and electric vehicle technology. The first centre will initially be located at the state-owned IT hub Technopark before moving to a permanent location in the city later, the officials added.

Speaking on the occasion, Vijayan said the state government had already announced its Information policy and was trying to implement several projects to achieve the target. "The MoU signed with Nissan is one of the significant steps as part of it," he said. Vijayan, who also holds the IT portfolio, said the government was going ahead with its mission to make Kerala a complete digital state. Stating that the new digital hub would bring a great opportunity for both Nissan and the region, he said the MoU was meant for transfer of land for the project.

The Chief Minister offered all further support for the project and expressed hope that the arrival of Nissan would woo more industrialists to come and invest in the state. The digital hub project would accelerate allied developments in the region and create more job opportunities, Vijayan, heading the LDF government, said. "It will not only provide Nissan access to a skilled and dedicated workforce but also allow Kerala to showcase its significant potential as a base for global business," he added.

Earlier, Vijayan in a Facebook post noted the hub was expected to generate 3,000 jobs directly besides indirect employment opportunities. Thomas said the hub in Kerala would serve as an important engine to drive Nissan's global digital transformation. "This hub will help us develop and maintain a talented workforce in-house, to improve the way we serve our customers around the world," he said. The investment to build the Digital Hub adds to Nissan's commitment to India, he said.

On the head-count, he said "by the end of this fiscal, we will have about 500 direct employees at the new centre. We are looking for both freshers and experienced hands. We have almost 100 offers ready to go as soon as we finalise the agreement with the government," he told reporters. "We are building our team up for this new-age digital capability. We thought that India would be a great market for us from a technology and talent perspective," Thomas told PTI. He said the centre would focus on two key aspects. "The first is to take the current IT capability that we have and evolve it to the next generation." It will focus on digitisation of Nissan's current manufacturing and engineering capabilities and enhancing customer experience to take it to the next level. The second part, he said, would be on the development of security and data analysis to cater to the needs of modern cars, which have become "computer on wheels".

Nissan Chairman (Africa, Middle East and India region) Peyman Kargar said, "the creation of Nissan's first global Digital Hub in India reflects our commitment to this growing market and our belief in investing in India for the long term." Harnessing the skills and talents of the workforce in India "is another way that Nissan is working to capture the full potential of the region," he said. Terming the MoU signing a 'momentous occasion', the Kerala Chief Secretary assured that the company would not face any issues of 'red-tapism' in the state.

Together with its Alliance partner Renault, Nissan already has a large manufacturing plant near Chennai with a potential annual capacity of 4.80 lakh vehicles for the domestic market and exports. A global Alliance R&D centre, also in Chennai, employs 7,000 engineers working on projects including vehicle and technology development.