Monday, JAMCO Interiors,a Tokyo-based aircraft interiors firm,opened its Centre of Excellence in Pune. The goal? Turn India into a design engineering hub. They're throwing $150 million into this,planning to grow workforce from 100 to 500 over next two to five years .
Kate Schaefer, Executive Chair and CEO of JAMCO, stressed the need to shift design tech to India. “We are looking at design technology being transferred to India so that India becomes a design centre for our laboratory products,” she said. JAMCO aims to boost back-office engineering support,turning simple design tasks into full engineering and product development roles.
Later this week,JAMCO will open another centre in Bengaluru. Pune facility's already started on tech transfers for aircraft galley design,with plans to tackle lavatories soon . It's all part of a strategy to manage entire design lifecycle, from RFQs to certification and service entry .
JAMCO isn't small fry . They supply about 50% of world's widebody lavatories,including all for Boeing 787 and 777. And 40% of widebody galleys,supplying Airbus A350 completely. Their portfolio? Business class seating, branding panels, window shades.
India's appeal as design hub? Its educated engineers,says Schaefer. Sanjeev Sen, COO, mentioned JAMCO wants to team up with local suppliers,aiming to adapt supply chain that's Japan-heavy. The goal is to meet rising demand at home and abroad .
Since Bain Capital acquired JAMCO in 2025, they've bought three companies in Germany, Italy,and U.S . Pune Centre of Excellence marks a big move in diversifying their supply base, boosting operational muscle. But how it plays out...
