C Shivakumar @ CHENNAI:
Danish Industry plans to deploy Tamil Nadu engineers to Denmark under a joint pilot with the state government, even as Danish companies expand research and development and scale up their Chennai presence to address skills shortages and support long-term investment.
Under the pilot project, being undertaken jointly with the Tamil Nadu government, the state will identify candidates while Danish Industry will screen 50 mechanical engineering graduates for placement in Denmark, said Jesper Bollerup Gade, managing director of Danish Industry India.
Speaking after the inauguration of the Confederation of Danish Industry’s new office and workspace in Pallavaram, Chennai, Gade said the programme marked a shift in how Danish companies viewed India’s engineering talent.
“When Danish Industry first came to India in 2022, the idea was to scout for relatively cheaper manpower to do jobs Danish engineers found less attractive. That has changed,” he said. “Engineers in Chennai are so good that, in many cases, they are actually better than Danish engineers.”
The growing confidence in Indian talent has prompted Danish companies to move more innovation-led work, including research and development, to India, particularly Tamil Nadu. Gade said the Technical University of Denmark already has a collaboration with IIT Madras, with discussions under way with other technical institutions in Chennai.
Reflecting the deepening engagement, Gade said Danish Industry had started operations in Chennai in 2022 with a 10-seater office in Guindy, but within four years had expanded to a 140-seater facility, underscoring the importance Denmark places on Chennai as a strategic base in India.
Engineers recruited under the programme would be paid on par with their Danish counterparts and supported through what Gade described as an ethical recruitment process, with emphasis on individual welfare and cultural integration.
“This is a pilot project, but it will continue and is likely to expand to other areas depending on industry needs,” he said.
Beyond engineering talent, Danish companies are also eyeing opportunities in India’s energy transition under the Green Strategic Partnership between the two countries. Gade said there was strong interest in Danish hydrogen-production technologies and efforts were under way to bring these to India, potentially leveraging a proposed free trade agreement with Europe.
India is competing with markets such as China and the US for Danish investment, Gade said, adding that while India could be a challenging market, it offered compelling long-term partnership opportunities.
Lars Sandahl Sørensen, chief executive of the Confederation of Danish Industry, said Danish businesses had been present in India for over a century, with the fastest recent growth concentrated in Chennai and Tamil Nadu.
“Chennai and Tamil Nadu are something special,” Sørensen said. “This region stands out for its vibrancy in development, skills and labour, as well as the current DMK government’s focus on attracting investment.”
Sorensen said discussions with Industries Minister T R B Rajaa had focused on expanding Danish investments in the state. “The government is ambitious and keen to create the best possible conditions for business,” he said.
On the offshore wind project that failed to take off in Rameswaram, Gade said the company was reassessing its financial model. Offshore wind projects are significantly more expensive than onshore alternatives and rely on a different supply chain, he said, adding that developers were reluctant to bid without mechanisms such as government-backed viability gap funding.
Danish Industry plans to deploy Tamil Nadu engineers to Denmark under a joint pilot with the state government, even as Danish companies expand research and development and scale up their Chennai presence to address skills shortages and support long-term investment.
Under the pilot project, being undertaken jointly with the Tamil Nadu government, the state will identify candidates while Danish Industry will screen 50 mechanical engineering graduates for placement in Denmark, said Jesper Bollerup Gade, managing director of Danish Industry India.
Speaking after the inauguration of the Confederation of Danish Industry’s new office and workspace in Pallavaram, Chennai, Gade said the programme marked a shift in how Danish companies viewed India’s engineering talent.
“When Danish Industry first came to India in 2022, the idea was to scout for relatively cheaper manpower to do jobs Danish engineers found less attractive. That has changed,” he said. “Engineers in Chennai are so good that, in many cases, they are actually better than Danish engineers.”
The growing confidence in Indian talent has prompted Danish companies to move more innovation-led work, including research and development, to India, particularly Tamil Nadu. Gade said the Technical University of Denmark already has a collaboration with IIT Madras, with discussions under way with other technical institutions in Chennai.
Reflecting the deepening engagement, Gade said Danish Industry had started operations in Chennai in 2022 with a 10-seater office in Guindy, but within four years had expanded to a 140-seater facility, underscoring the importance Denmark places on Chennai as a strategic base in India.
Engineers recruited under the programme would be paid on par with their Danish counterparts and supported through what Gade described as an ethical recruitment process, with emphasis on individual welfare and cultural integration.
“This is a pilot project, but it will continue and is likely to expand to other areas depending on industry needs,” he said.
Beyond engineering talent, Danish companies are also eyeing opportunities in India’s energy transition under the Green Strategic Partnership between the two countries. Gade said there was strong interest in Danish hydrogen-production technologies and efforts were under way to bring these to India, potentially leveraging a proposed free trade agreement with Europe.
India is competing with markets such as China and the US for Danish investment, Gade said, adding that while India could be a challenging market, it offered compelling long-term partnership opportunities.
Lars Sandahl Sørensen, chief executive of the Confederation of Danish Industry, said Danish businesses had been present in India for over a century, with the fastest recent growth concentrated in Chennai and Tamil Nadu.
“Chennai and Tamil Nadu are something special,” Sørensen said. “This region stands out for its vibrancy in development, skills and labour, as well as the current DMK government’s focus on attracting investment.”
Sorensen said discussions with Industries Minister T R B Rajaa had focused on expanding Danish investments in the state. “The government is ambitious and keen to create the best possible conditions for business,” he said.
On the offshore wind project that failed to take off in Rameswaram, Gade said the company was reassessing its financial model. Offshore wind projects are significantly more expensive than onshore alternatives and rely on a different supply chain, he said, adding that developers were reluctant to bid without mechanisms such as government-backed viability gap funding.
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