A CLOSER LOOK Since 2005, nearly two-thirds of Indian companies have added jobs to their U.S. operations. Together, these 35 companies employ more than 60,000 people across 40 states and the District of Columbia. More than four-fifths of workers at these companies are hired locally. An overwhelming majority of workers who are employed at these companies are American citizens. India-based companies that have operations in the United States have saved 2,585 jobs from being eliminated due to their acquisition of U.S. firms.  The value of these acquisitions since 2005 is $5.9 billion.

A new study by the Confederation of Indian Industry claims that India-based companies are responsible for saving thousands of jobs in the United States in recent years and have continued to hire locally whenever they expand here.

The CII released the study, “Indian Roots, American Soil: A Look at Indian Companies in the U.S. Economy,” during a recent event on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., during which the Indian business organization highlighted India’s involvement in the U.S. economy and stressed the growing benefit of the impact Indian-based companies on the U.S. economy. The event was attended by members of CII’s India Business Forum, executives from 25 Indian companies that do business in the United States, and Meera Shankar, the Indian ambassador to the United States.

It began at the Indian Embassy in Washington with an address from Shankar, followed by a panel discussion with Indian companies in the afternoon and ended with an evening reception on Capitol Hill.

Highlights of the study, which surveyed 35 CII India Business Forum member companies include:

• Since 2005, nearly two-thirds of Indian companies have added jobs to their U.S. operations.
  
  
• Together, these 35 companies employ more than 60,000 people across 40 states and the District of Columbia.

• India-based companies that have operations in the United States have saved 2,585 jobs from being eliminated due to their acquisition of U.S. firms. 
  
  
• The value of these acquisitions since 2005 is $5.9 billion.

The companies surveyed represent sectors including pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, health care, energy, iron and steel and information technology.

“Indian businesses have invested widely in the U.S. economy in diverse sectors in the fields of services and manufacturing,” Shankar said. “They have generated and sustained thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the U.S. economy and have contributed to the global competitiveness of U.S. companies.”

Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, also took part in the CII event and offered his support of the bilateral economic relationship between the United States and India. 

“The relationship between the U.S. — the world’s oldest democracy — and India — the world’s largest democracy — has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years,” he said. “Trade in goods and services between the United States and India has grown exponentially, creating countless economic opportunities for both our countries and providing U.S. consumers with access to affordable goods.”

Kiran Pasricha, deputy director general of the CII was also on hand. “This is CII’s first major attempt in bringing together Indian companies with operations in the U.S., as a group, to interact with members of the U.S. Congress. What we want to do is highlight the range and depth of the U.S.-India business relationship and to dispel some of the misconceptions attached to Indian companies,” said Pasricha. “We want the Congress to understand and appreciate the growing contributions of Indian companies to the U.S. economy, and to U.S. society.”

Participating companies in the Capitol Hill event included: Bharat Forge, Essar Americas, Export-Import Bank of India, HCL America, Infotech Enterprises, Infosys, Larsen & Toubro Ltd., Larsen & Toubro Infotech, L&T Hydrocarbons IC, Mahindra Satyam, Mahindra USA, Mindtree, Polaris, Ranbaxy, State Bank of India, Tata Communications, Tata Consultancy Services, Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces, Tata Sons, Welspun, Wipro and Wockhardt.

The companies involved were very vocal in support of the ongoing economic relationship between the United States and India.

“Infotech Enterprises takes pride in its contribution to growth of the U.S. economy,” said Greg Tilley, president of Infotech Enterprises America. “Our investments have resulted in a doubling of our U.S.-based workforce in the past year and we are delivering an increasing percentage of our services using U.S.-based resources and facilities.”

Madhu Vuppuluri, president and chief executive officer of Essar Americas, one of the fastest growing Indian companies in United States with investment of over $ 2.5 billion and local employment of about 7,000 Americans, said that his company looks forward to further opportunities in building and consolidating its presence within United States.

“Essar is very pleased with its presence in both manufacturing and service sectors in U.S. Essar is leading the pack in the manufacturing sector by constructing $ 1.3 billion iron-ore, pellet plant in Minnesota, the largest green-field project ever to be undertaken by any Indian corporation in U.S.,” Vuppuluri added. “In the service sector, Essar Aegis’s presence in 11 locations in U.S. has provided a sound platform for further growth across several other continents and several verticals.”

“L&T Infotech, the technology arm of Larsen & Toubro, a $9.8 billion global engineering conglomerate, will continue to invest in centers of technology and domain excellence in the United States that will enable revenue growth and profitability for our U.S. clients,” said Sudip Banerjee, chief executive officer of Larsen & Toubro Infotech. “The centers of excellence promote innovation in technology areas such as SAP and developing domain solutions such as digital oil wells, price and revenue management, mobility solutions and securities and funds services.”

“Ranbaxy continues to invest in its U.S. facilities and people to support the commercialization of affordable pharmaceutical products that ultimately benefit both patient and prescribers, as well as the U.S. health-care system,” said Charles M. Caprariello, vice president of corporate communications and government affairs at Ranbaxy Inc. “This is consistent with our corporate mission statement: ‘Enriching lives globally with quality and affordable pharmaceuticals.’”

Jodi Dell Leblanc, vice president of sales and international marketing for Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces said that the company has plans to expand its portfolio in the United States, which currently includes three luxury properties — The Pierre on New York’s Central Park, Taj Boston, and Taj Campton Place in San Francisco.