Maruti Suzuki To Set Up Japan-India Institute of Manufacturing

India’s largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL), has been ruling the country with its vast array of reliable products and rock solid after-sales service network. It has now embarked on a new journey to set up a first-of-its-kind industrial training institute called Japan-India Institute of Manufacturing (JIM) in Mehsana, Gujarat. The company says that this initiative will represent its contribution towards corporate social responsibility. It will go live from August 2017 and will be equipped to train 300 candidates per year in technical trades and Japanese shopfloor practices.

This initiative follows a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) signed in Tokyo on November 11, 2016 between Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Government of Japan (METI) and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India (MSDE) for a “Manufacturing Skill Transfer Promotion Programme” to train 30,000 youths in India over 10 years.

MSIL has committed an initial investment of Rs 3.2 crore towards setting up JIM. On this initiative, Kenichi Ayukawa, MD and CEO, MSIL said, “Maruti Suzuki’s Japan-India Institute of Manufacturing in Mehsana will take forward the vision of the two governments to create a pool of skilled manpower in manufacturing in India. This is another opportunity for Maruti Suzuki to participate in the Indian Government’s ambitious “Make in India” and “Skill India” initiatives. Our effort will be to train youths in the best shopfloor practices so that they find ready employment on shopfloors and in workshops.”

The upcoming institute will offer seven technical courses: Fitter, Electrician, Welder, Mechanic Diesel, Mechanic Motor Vehicle, Mechanic Auto Body Repair and Mechanic Auto Body Painting. All these courses would be certified and approved by National Council of Vocational Training (NCVT). Best shopfloor practices based on Kaizen and other quality tools, derived from curricula developed in Japan, will be integrated in the technical curriculum.