TCS Ferrari connection flaunted at Davos

Tata Consultancy Systems flaunts Ferrari contract at World Economic Forum, Davos.

29 January 2006
MUMBAI, INDIA

Tatas’ Formula One domain is expanding and it is not just Narain Karthikeyan on it, but also Team Ferrari, which has seven time world champion Michael Schumacher racing on its circuit car, albeit through group software firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

Asia’s largest Information Technology services firm is flaunting its coveted technology services partner contract it bagged from Ferrari, after stealing a march over many global giants, at the World Economic Forum, currently underway at Davos, in a bid to make a foray to rope in engineering software solutions from major auto giants.

Schumacher’s Ferrari will now be coveted combination of global majors in different sectors. 

The Ferarrai car will be banking on Tata Consultancy Services’ software and Shell’s fuel. 

The car would have tires from the world’s second largest tire manufacturer Bridgestone and its telecommunication network would be driven by Vodafone, the largest mobile telecommunications network company in the world by turnover.

TCS has put its top 30 software technicians on the job of driving the software solutions for Ferrari. Apart from providing software solutions, they would also have to deal with extensive research and development operations to ensure a snag-free run for Ferrari. Ferrari had a poor run in Formula One in 2005.

Williams had announced recently that Narain Karthikeyan sponsored by Tata would be its fourth driver.

The Tata-Williams deal means that Tata logo will appear on the nose of Williams’ Formula one car, on drivers' helmets and on their overalls. 

Though the Tata-Williams deal has no connection with TCS’ pact with Ferrari, it signifies the Tata group’s increasing appetite to make dash in sport-related fields.

It may be recalled that TCS had posted revenues of $ $2.28 Billion for financial 2004-2005.