GKN Aerospace officially opens its advanced engineering centre in Bangalore, India in a ceremony yesterday, Wednesday 25th.

The Centre's highly skilled engineering team, which extends the company's one thousand-strong global engineering strength, is already contributing design engineering expertise to the company's international aero-engine activities.

Seventy highly qualified design and development engineers have transferred from Volvo's Bangalore facility to the new Centre located on the old Airport Road at the heart of Bangalore's aerospace and automotive activities. Volvo Aero was acquired by GKN in October, 2012 and incorporated into GKN Aerospace. Over the next eighteen months a local recruitment campaign will increase the workforce in Bangalore to over 100 individuals.

Today the Centre is supporting the company's engine systems business, one of the three major aero-engine structures providers to the global aerospace market. In the future its activity will extend to provide engineering support for projects across the GKN Aerospace enterprise, including its market-leading aerostructures and transparencies operations.

David Orth, newly appointed General Manager at the Bangalore engineering centre explains: "GKN Aerospace is known for the strength of its engineering expertise and through this new Centre the company is adding India's - and specifically, Bangalore's - impressive engineering skills base to that expertise. We look forward to playing our part in creating effective design and engineering solutions that will help GKN Aerospace extend the performance of future aircraft and aero-engines."