With India being the fastest growing large economy, ‘what is your India plan?’ is a common topic in boardrooms of most global corporations. One important source to distil their India plans is from their quarterly earnings calls. With the March quarter having just started, we will bring to you what CXOs of global corporations are saying about India and their perspectives and plans during this earnings season in this column. Here are some from companies that reported their earnings last week.
Blackrock Inc (BLK, m-cap: $137.7 billion)
One of the world’s largest asset management firm highlighted its strategic India entry:
“In India, we expect our joint venture with Jio BlackRock to launch later this year, subject to regulatory approvals… transform access to investing for Indians…”
Guess? (GES, m-cap: $501.3 million)
The global apparel and lifestyle brand underscored aggressive market expansion in India by noting:
“We signed a partnership agreement with the Tata Group to represent Guess Jeans in India… closing the year with 22 new stores in the market.”
Firan Technology Group Corporation (FTGFF, m-cap: C$221.3 million)
The Canadian manufacturer of aerospace and defence electronics outlined an aerospace facility expansion in India with an eye on cost effectiveness and policy support:
“…announced plans to open an aerospace facility in Hyderabad, India… we concluded India is a very cost-effective place for manufacturing… with Make in India policy… it would be an ideal place to operate.”
Lakeland Industries (Lake, m-cap: $150.6 million)
The protective clothing and industrial gear manufacturer discussed on manufacturing optionality:
“…when the Vietnam tariffs were … at 46%, India … was in the mid-20s. … we were also looking at options for utilizing India… and training those folks up. … we do have some optionality here.”
R. Stahl AG (RSL2, m-cap: €115.3 million)
The German company specialising in explosion protection products and systems focused on production and sales expansion, stating:
“…we are in the process of building a new production facility in Chennai, India. … we will have much more concentration of central services … for our sales forces in Asia, in India…”
Contributed by NAFA Assets
Published on April 19, 2025
