Larsen &Toubro to Establish "Knowledge City" in Vadodara to Train Hydrocarbon and Power Engineers

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Larsen & Toubro Limited (BSE:500510) (L&T) (Mumbai), one of India's leading engineering and construction companies, has inaugurated a "Knowledge City" in Waghodia, near Vadodara in the Indian state of Gujarat. L&T's Knowledge City is a state-of-the-art engineering campus spread over an area of 112 acres. The facility, set up with an investment of more than $100 million, will cater to the high-end design and engineering requirements in the hydrocarbon and power sectors.

L&T is targeting revenues of $415 million from project exports over the next five years and intends to employ up to 5,000 technically qualified engineers within this time. The integrated campus will offer design and engineering solutions in all areas of the hydrocarbon sector, including upstream, midstream and downstream projects. For projects in the power sector, the facility will offer end-to-end design solutions.

The engineering campus aims to strengthen L&T's capabilities in engineering design, add qualified engineers to the country's technology resource pool and provide competitive cost advantages for project-related businesses. L&T currently has vast expertise in the areas of process engineering, product development, mechanical design and analysis, process evaluation and technology adaptation. L&T intends to set up an "Institute of Project Management" in the near future to train project managers capable of executing engineering, procurement, construction and manufacturing projects. The company plans to recruit experienced project managers and well known academicians as faculty for the institute.

Knowledge City will comprise 11 buildings in the first phase that will include e-Engineering Solutions, EPC Businesses, L&T-Sargent & Lundy and L&T Chiyoda, in addition to housing recreation and lodging facilities. The campus is being applauded for its design and construction, which meet high environmental standards. The facility is powered using solar energy and is equipped with technologically advanced systems for rainwater harvesting and wastewater management.

The driving factor behind establishing Knowledge City is the need for qualified professionals in core-engineering jobs in India. There is an acute shortage of technical engineers in the Indian manufacturing sector. L&T has earmarked investments for various infrastructure projects in the country despite the economic slowdown, and foresees a requirement of 5,000 engineers for the company's manufacturing plants at Hazira and Vadodara in Gujarat.

Setting up the Knowledge City in Vadodara was a strategic initiative as the company expects the city to be a prime engineering center in India by 2020. The city is home to engineering majors such as ABB India Limited (Bangalore), Alstom Projects India Limited (BSE:532309) (New Delhi), Bombardier India (Mumbai), and Siemens India Limited (BSE:500550) (Mumbai).

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