QuEST Global, a leading provider of outsourced engineering services and manufacturing, announced today that it has received the Government of India notification for its SEZ (Special Economic Zone) in Belgaum, Karnataka. QuEST Global has also received approval for the units that are coming up in phase 1 of the SEZ.

QuEST Global’s SEZ will be a sector specific precision engineering SEZ, covering over 300 acres of land in the initial phase. This notification allows QuEST Global to lease out the land and also provide build-to-suit requirements in the SEZ to other prospects who would like to set up their business units in QuEST Global’s precision engineering SEZ. The SEZ will provide world class infrastructure in the industrial estate, concentrating mainly on aerospace and automotive related industries. Phase 1 of the SEZ will be operational by December 2008, and Phase 2 is expected to be operational by June 2009.

QuEST Global SEZ has already signed up with 3 clients, namely QuEST Global Engineering, QuEST Global Manufacturing and Aerospace Processing India (API), a joint venture between QuEST and Magellan Aerospace for establishing special aerospace processing capabilities in India.

At the SEZ in Belgaum, API’s facility of 17,500 sq. ft. will support activities such as chromic acid anodizing line, titanium etching, shot peen, paint and primer booth, MPI and FPI in the initial phase. QuEST Global Manufacturing will expand its existing precision machining operations that are currently set up in Bangalore and QuEST Global Engineering will set up an engineering services facility, to provide low cost engineering services.

By starting operations in Belgaum which is a Tier 3 town in India, QuEST Global Engineering is pioneering the way to ensure low cost delivery of engineering in the future also. QuEST Global has obtained specific unit approvals for all the 3 units along with a sanction for the industrial layout.

“Belgaum, as a hub for setting up a supply chain for the Aerospace industry, is the perfect destination as it is ideally located in the industrial heartland of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa, thereby providing access to a large number of manufacturing and machining talent. It is also excellently located in terms of logistics, being just off the Golden Quadrilateral NH4 highway (Bangalore-Pune-Mumbai highway), with proximity to 3 sea ports (Goa, Karwar and Mumbai) and 3 airports (Belgaum, Hubli and Kolhapur). In addition, the presence of a number of educational institutes in the region, will ensure a good supply of engineers at all levels. Along with engineering services and manufacturing, QuEST now has a precision engineering SEZ, of which are very few in the country. This move demonstrates QuEST Global’s thought leadership, which sets it apart from its competitors,” said Aravind Melligeri, Chairman & Co-founder, QuEST.

About QuEST

QuEST is a leading provider of outsourced engineering services and manufacturing. The company helps customers in the aerospace, power generation, oil & gas, civil structures, industrial products, and transportation verticals to cut product development costs, shorten lead times, extend capacity and maximize engineering resources availability by providing support across the complete product life cycle from design and modeling through analysis, prototyping, automation, data documentation, instrumentation and controls, embedded systems development, manufacturing support, vendor management, and in-house precision machining. Through our Global Product Development framework and our on-site/off-shore/on-shore models, we leverage our local presence and global reach to support globalization initiatives for our customers. QuEST employs over 1500 people and has delivery centers in India, USA, Italy, Japan and footprints in UK, Germany, France, Spain and China. For more information, visit www.quest-global.com.