Vanderlande has opened an India Innovation Centre (IIC) in Pune, marking a further expansion of its engineering and technology operations in the country. The new facility will support the development, testing and co-creation of automation solutions for the company’s global customers across warehousing, airports and parcel handling sectors.
The India Innovation Centre has been designed as a collaboration-led environment where engineers can work across the full lifecycle of solutions. The centre will focus on areas such as robotic automation, autonomous systems, artificial intelligence and digital-physical integration, supporting projects for customers worldwide.
The launch represents a new phase in Vanderlande India’s evolution as a Global Capability Centre (GCC). With the addition of the IIC, the India GCC becomes Vanderlande’s second-largest technology hub globally, after the Netherlands. The company said the expansion reflects its long-term plans to increase high-value engineering roles and innovation-driven work from India.
Located in Pune and spread across two acres, the India Innovation Centre integrates research and development, system testing and training within a single campus. The facility is intended to enable closer collaboration across design, development and validation teams, while providing engineers with hands-on exposure to real-world automation systems used by customers globally.
“The India Innovation Centre underscores our confidence in India’s expanding role in Vanderlande’s technology journey,” said Astrid van Druten, Chief Financial Officer, Vanderlande. “As our second-largest technology hub, India will further strengthen our global innovation ecosystem through this new centre,” she added.
Manish Patil, Managing Director, Vanderlande India, said the new centre reflects the company’s continued investment in its Indian operations. “The inauguration of our new India Innovation Centre marks an important milestone that reflects Vanderlande’s confidence and continued investments in Vanderlande India. The centre embodies our ambition to support innovation, build global capabilities, and make a positive impact on Vanderlande’s worldwide operations,” he said.
Vanderlande India has grown from a small support office into a Global Capability Centre with more than 1,300 employees. Its operations span research and development, software development, core engineering disciplines and shared services. The company said the India Innovation Centre marks a transition towards a stronger innovation mandate within its India operations.
Vanderlande is part of the Toyota Automated Logistics Group, which brings together companies including Toyota L&F, Bastian Solutions, Vanderlande and viastore to deliver integrated logistics automation solutions. The group operates under Toyota Industries Corporation, which acquired Vanderlande in 2017. Toyota Industries Corporation operates across automotive components, material handling, logistics and textile machinery, with material handling accounting for around half of its overall business.
Vanderlande provides automated logistics solutions for the warehousing, airport and parcel sectors, delivering integrated systems, software and life-cycle services to customers worldwide.
