New Delhi, India:  

• Event underscores company support of India’s quest to become defence hub
• Nearly 100 Indian vendors to attend and engage with senior industry executives

BAE Systems demonstrated its continued support for the Indian economy and commitment to building its supply chain with Indian vendors as the company hosted its second annual Supplier Summit in New Delhi today. Nearly 100 vendors from Indian firms of all sizes attended the event in Aerocity.
 
During the summit, BAE Systems shared viable new business opportunities with delegates, who also heard from senior executives from across the company, a representative from the Government of India, and Indian vendors that have already joined the BAE Systems global supply chain network. The event reaffirmed BAE Systems’ drive to develop the capabilities of quality suppliers to support a range of programs both in India and around the world.
 
Delivering the Supplier Summit keynote address, Paul Smith, Chief Procurement Officer at BAE Systems, said: “One of BAE Systems’ strategic imperatives for 2019 and beyond is to identify and work with greater numbers of qualified and capable Indian suppliers, and this Supplier Summit is central to achieving that goal. We’re focused on expanding our supply chain network in India, and it’s great to see so many vendors attending our 2019 summit.”
 
Nik Khanna, Managing Director of BAE Systems India, said: “BAE Systems continues to take substantive steps in our Make in India commitment. The company is proud to support the development of Indian suppliers as well as the creation of a self-sustaining industrial base in this country.”
 
BAE Systems spends US $12 billion each year with 21,000 external suppliers worldwide and considers India a key growth market to further expand its network. BAE Systems currently works with a variety of Indian suppliers that provide advanced, complex technology components. During the Supplier Summit, the company presented KKCI, a leader in composite manufacturing in India, with a BAE Systems Gold Award in recognition of its work with the company.