National Press Release

DETROIT, July 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Defiance Testing & Engineering, a leading name in independent testing services for major Transportation OEMs and their Tier suppliers for the past 30 years, today announced plans to expand operations beyond testing and engineering, to manufacturing and enterprise solutions. Defiance Tech, part of the London-headquartered Hinduja Group, also announced the appointment of Mr. Subu D Subramanian as its Chief Executive Officer.

Defiance has provided testing and engineering services in metropolitan Detroit since 1976. The business was founded on supporting the North American domestic passenger car and light truck manufacturers. Over the years, a greater number of supplier clients were added as they transitioned from "build-to-print" to "engineering responsible" organizations. In line with customer requirements, Defiance's capabilities also grew to include environmental, NVH, and safety capabilities. During this time, all of the transplant manufacturers and their supply base have become clients. Defiance has also diversified into adjacent markets such as Construction, Agriculture, Mass Transit and Off-Road vehicles.

Defiance has full product design / analysis and technical publications capability to supplement its extensive physical testing capabilities.

Defiance now also provides a comprehensive suite of ERP / EAI and Collaborative Technology services. As announced today, combining the strengths of the Defiance operations results in a world-class EME (Engineering, Manufacturing & Enterprise) solution provider with a truly global footprint.

Commenting on the developments, Dr. V. Sumantran, Chairman, Defiance and Executive Vice Chairman, Hinduja Automotive Limited said "In these difficult times, customers are seeking more efficient technology solutions that would enhance business productivity. Through Defiance, we have established ourselves as a significant global player in Automotive Engineering Services. We now intend to expand the scope of operations and capabilities of Defiance to straddle engineering to technology-enabled manufacturing and enterprise solutions. We are also seeking to serve customers beyond automotive to other Industry verticals, including Aerospace, Electronic and Industrial Equipment."

"As the CEO of Defiance, Mr. Subramanian brings on board his extensive experience and excellent track record in the Engineering, Manufacturing and Enterprise Solutions space. With this, we believe, Defiance is well positioned to scale up as a truly global specialist in integrated Engineering and Enterprise solutions."

Mr. Subu D Subramanian said "I am excited and feel privileged to be associated with the Hinduja Group. Defiance has robust capability in the Automotive Engineering Services space, good customer base and a global footprint and infrastructure. With the right engineering services capability combined with the right domain expertise, Defiance is well poised to uniquely address the opportunities that presently exist."

"Today, global manufacturing customers require niche interface solutions that connect the Engineering and Enterprise domains. Such solutions will enhance the manufacturing and supply chain efficiency and improve the overall enterprise productivity. There is tremendous opportunity for a credible player that can provide integrated Engineering and Enterprise services on a global delivery model. Defiance seeks leadership in this business-critical space".

Mr. Subramanian was until recently Senior Vice President at Satyam Computer Services Ltd., heading the manufacturing and automotive vertical, which he incubated and built into a leadership position in 10 years. Subu also incubated and built the market leading SAP practice at Satyam. Prior to Satyam, Subu held several senior leadership positions in TCS, including Regional Business Head, USA and Head of the company's Hyderabad operations. Subu started his career in the Manufacturing industry and has over 26 years of global experience in the IT services industry.

About Hinduja Group

The Hinduja Group is an investment and banking group with a diversified global portfolio of holdings across the manufacturing services and banking sectors. The Group, founded by Shri P.D. Hinduja in 1914, has activities across three core areas: Investment Banking, International Trading and Global Investments. As part of its Global investments, the Group owns businesses in Automotive, Information Technology, Media, Entertainment & Communications, Banking & Finance, Infrastructure, Project Development, Chemicals & Agri business, Energy, Real Estate and Healthcare. The Hinduja Group also supports charitable and philanthropic activities across the world through the Hinduja Foundation.

SOURCE Defiance Testing & Engineering