KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, February 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

As part of the growth strategy to develop new business opportunities in Asia, Philippe Salle Chairman and Chief Executive of the Altran group has inaugurated today the new regional office in Kuala Lumpur. Referring to his strategic plan 2012-2015, one of the twelve major projects to return to profitable growth was the Group expansion in Asia. Starting with 2 large offices in China and India, Altran is now developing its business in South East Asia (SEA).

With 30 years of experience in innovation and high-tech engineering consulting, Altran has decided to set up an office in Malaysia where a young and growing population with increasing income in the SEA region has already attracted more multinational companies. South East Asia is one of the top ten Asia-Pacific regions for foreign direct investments (FDI), with one of the most dynamic aerospace markets and the strongest order book for Airbus and Boeing over the last two years.

Most of key players in the aerospace have now established operations to serve the growing demand. Malaysia is home to all of Altran's significant technology solutions - Aviation, Healthcare, Telecoms and Transportation and delivering solutions to support Malaysia's local infrastructure. The stage is set to transform Malaysia into a leading global economy with high value engineers and innovation.

"We have decided to open a regional office in Kuala Lumpur as the city is the Launchpad to SEA. With an attractive ecosystem for inward investment: world-class infrastructure, strong economic frameworks and access to the rest of the ASEAN^[1] region, Kuala Lumpur will offer a fitting environment for Altran to continue to grow our presence in the market across our key business areas - aviation, automotive, healthcare, telecoms and smart society," announces Philippe Salle, Chairman and Chief Executive of Altran.

The newly started Altran regional operations in South East Asia are headed by Fabrice Godeau. Today, Altran regional office has recruited the first young talents and will interview more candidates to sign up the future Innovation Makers with an objective to have 200 by 2020.

Altran will also develop an Innovation centre in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) supported by its subsidiary Cambridge Consultants as a strategic advisor. Cambridge Consultants will provide innovative product development services to accelerate the growth of blue-chip and ambitious start-up companies in Malaysia. This venture is strongly supported by the government and local authorities. This will demonstrate the DNA of the Group and attract the best talents.

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1. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations

Altran's investment in Greater Kuala Lumpur was facilitated by MIDA & InvestKL, the specialist investment agency for the capital city of Malaysia.

"The opening of Altran's regional office today, and its Innovation Centre in the near future is a testament that Greater Kuala Lumpur is fast emerging regional hub for business, talent and innovation.

"A growing Malaysian economy and a pro-business government coupled with our strategic location in ASEAN which provides companies' access to a market of 600 million population with a GDP of more than US$2 trillion, makes Greater Kuala Lumpur an ideal choice for MNCs looking to expand their business from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

"We are delighted to welcome Altran to Greater Kuala Lumpur. We are confident that Altran's diverse businesses would be invaluable, offering Malaysians high value jobs and specialised training opportunities, which is in line with Malaysia's Economic Transformation Programme," said Mr Zainal Amanshah, Chief Executive Officer, InvestKL.

About Altran

As global leader in innovation and high‐tech engineering consulting, Altran accompanies its clients in the creation and development of their new products and services. Altran's "Innovation Makers"* have been providing services for thirty years to key players in the Aerospace, Automotive, Energy, Railways, Finance, Healthcare and Telecoms sectors. Covering every stage of project development from strategic planning through to manufacturing, Altran's offers capitalise on the Group's technological know-how in four key areas: Product Lifecycle Management, Mechanical Engineering, Embedded and Critical Systems, and IT Systems.

In 2012, the Group generated revenues of €1456m. Altran has a staff of 20,000 employees* in more than 20 countries.

http://www.altran.com

About Cambridge Consultants

http://www.cambridgeconsultants.com

About InvestKL

http://www.investkl.gov.my

Altran press contact:
Fabrice Godeau - head of Regional Representative Office
fabrice.godeau@altran.com
+60192601233

InvestKL press contact:
Tim Saw, Senior Manager, Marketing & Communications
tim.saw@investkl.gov.my
+6012-214-8950