Jacobs opens offshoring centre in India that can house 2,200 consultants

With the objective of boosting profitability in their international operations, construction services firm Jacobs has opened an offshore office in Mumbai, India. The office is a part of the firm’s “global integrated delivery” services offering, and has the capacity to hold 2,200 consultants.

Based in Dallas, Texas, Jacobs is a global consulting firm that specialises in technical and professional construction services. The firm covers all dimensions of the construction arena, including architecture, engineering, operations and maintenance, and even scientific and specialty consulting.

Jacobs was founded in 1947, and has since expanded on a large scale, currently operating out of more than 230 locations with around 54,000 employees. The firm provides services to a range of organisations, which stretch across the industrial, commercial, as well as governmental sectors. 

Now, in order to further boost these international operations, the firm has launched an office in Mumbai, capable of housing 2,200 professionals. The new office represents the biggest individual operation in the world for the firm in terms of the number of employees, and will cater to clients from across the world. 

The move follows a new trend of offshoring that has gathered momentum across the international business community. Earlier, Netherlands-based consulting firm Arcadis announced that a primary facet of its growth strategy going forth is the expansion of its ‘global excellence centres.’

Numerically, Arcadis hopes to increase the number of centres from 2,019 to 2,600 in the next year, employing 10% of its total staff. Similarly, Danish firm Ramboll altered its strategy in recent years, aiming to increase its offshore revenue generation from 20% to 50%. Jacobs will be hoping for a similar trend in revenue generation.

The firm’s move to India appears to be a strategically sound one. Aside from a rapidly developing economy, the country also has a steadily expanding consulting industry. Moreover, construction will be a special area of focus in years to come, as the retail real estate market in the country is due for substantial growth, in light of broad construction plans across the big cities in India.

Commenting on the move to Mumbai, interim Head of Global Petroleum and Chemicals for Jacobs, Vinayak Pai said, “This investment in our capacity and capabilities in India is yet another milestone in organising our work in the most effective, efficient and economical way possible, leveraging the talent and expertise of our employees around the globe.”

Meanwhile, Managing Director for the firm in India, Ron Reed said, “Expanding our presence in a new and modern facility like Gigaplex Office, coupled with our investment in a common set of tools and processes, further enables us to partner with our global teams and work more closely with our international clients, helping to understand their business and meet long term objectives.”