QuEST Extends Rolls-Royce Engineering Services Agreement

Aviation Daily Jul 15 , 2010 , p. 05
Neelam Mathews

Engineering services provider QuEST (Quality Engineering and Software Technologies) Global Engineering has signed a five-year extended agreement to support the engineering resources of Rolls-Royce across its business divisions until 2015.

The new contract follows an increase in the scope and size of work QuEST has been providing since 2005 when it first signed a five-year agreement with Rolls-Royce in India.

“This agreement with Rolls-Royce is significant. We see it as an endorsement of our engineering capabilities in the aerospace, marine and energy sectors and the relationship we share with Rolls-Royce,” says Ajit Prabhu, CEO, QuEST. Unlike information technology, which benefits from younger workers, engineering calls for a more experienced workforce, says Prabhu. QuEST is a niche player in engineering services with capabilities in design, development, manufacturing, engineering, tooling and aftermarket support in repair engineering, offering integrated processes to customers such as Rolls, for whom it has put aside 500 engineers.

The company also has 500 engineers in the U.S., half of which work primarily “on export control work,” for the U.S defense industry.

QuEST engineers have designed certain assemblies within the engine initially drafting and modeling. Now having moved up the value chain, the company gives design recommendations on savings using capabilities and on manufacturing and automating design processes.

“We build capability as we build confidence in our customers...by creating value. While cost is one of the drivers, it’s not all about labor arbitrage,” says Prabhu.

“India is hugely important to Rolls-Royce, and we continuously look for opportunities to enhance our range of activities and benefit from the comparative advantages India has to offer. I’m delighted that we have extended our long-standing relationship with QuEST for a further five years, and I look forward to continuing to work together as we move forward.” says Anil Shrikhande, president, Rolls-Royce India.

As Rolls plans to expand its assembly business in Singapore for the Trent 1000 through an investment of $700 million, QuEST expects to support it with 100 employees in its new Singapore international headquarters. QuEST in the past has supported work streams across the lifecycle of Rolls-Royce products, including products for the next-generation Airbus A350XWB family of aircraft.