Honeywell International Inc, the $24-billion diversified technology and manufacturing leader, will expand its Indian operations to outsource more software development and security solutions for its global requirements.

The US-based Honeywell CEO David Cote, who was on a whistle-stop visit to Bangalore on Tuesday, held a series of meetings with the top management of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Honeywell Technology Solutions Lab, to discuss the expansion plans.

Cote also addressed about 1000-odd employees of the Honeywell India Software Operations Centre in the city, and urged them to take advantage of the emerging opportunities in the hi-tech areas of automation, aerospace and electronic control systems. Later, he met some of Honeywell's key customers.

According to company sources, Honeywell India is set to expand its staff strength by 500-600 in the next 12-18 months for stepping up its research and development activities in products and services. The $75-million Indian subsidiary has currently about 1300 people on its rolls.

"The CEO has identified five growth areas to develop new products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; turbochargers; automotive products; and electronic materials," sources declared.

The Indian subsidiary offers high-end enterprise applications solutions such as advance planning systems and front/back office operations systems.

Incidentally, Cote's one-day trip comes hot on the heels of a similar visit by IBM Corporation chairman Samuel J Palmisano to Bangalore last week.

As in the case of IBM chief, Cote too kept away from interacting with the media. His scheduled meeting with IT-savy Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna was reported to have been cancelled.

There was no word on the proposed investment for expansion plans either.

A company statement, however, disclosed that Cote has announced some scholarships to Indian students as part of Honeywell's educational initiative.

The initiative marks the launch of the Rs 50-lakh (Rs 5 million) scholarship for the current year. The 4-year-old program facilitates some of the company's employees to counsel students.

"Honeywell's commitment to education and a diverse, global workforce has proven to be a winning strategy the world over.

"This initiative is consistent with our tradition of supporting communities that supply the infrastructure for our employees and their families," Cote remarked.