Maruti Suzuki increases focus on vendor skilling with mobile training centre

Country's largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki India has launched a one-of-its-kind mobile training centre, intended solely to impart skill training to its suppliers. With an aim to upgrade skills and capabilities of employees at its vendors, the unique 'Skill on Wheels' mobile training centre will reach out to Maruti Suzuki vendors located across Delhi NCR vendor belt in Gurgaon, Bhiwadi and Manesar to impart training at the doorstep.

Conceptualised and executed by Maruti Centre for Excellence (MACE) - a society formed by Maruti Suzuki India and 21of its vendor partners, the mobile centre will provide training in areas of preventive and predictive maintenance, cost automation, and energy management. Additionally, the facility is also equipped to provide training in safety, quality and soft skills.

Talking about the initiative, Kenichi Ayukawa, MD and CEO, Maruti Suzuki India, said, “We are pleased to start this unique initiative. Offering quality products and services to customers is of prime importance for us. The product and component quality levels can be met only if we have skilled manpower across manufacturing facilities, at Maruti Suzuki as well as our supplier partners.

The new 'Skill on Wheels' will reach locations across the automobile belt in Delhi NCR, to give an opportunity to train and enhance skill levels of employees of vendor partners. We are confident that our vendors will value this well-equipped training facility at their doorstep and benefit from this initiative.”

"Such a customised mobile training centre shall make learning accessible to suppliers in remote areas and to those who are not able to relieve their personnel for such trainings in normal routine," he added.

Maruti Center for Excellence (MACE)
MACE, set up in 2004 is an initiative by Maruti Suzuki and a group of vendor partners. Its mission is to achieve world class levels in quality, cost and technology by upgrading the skills of human capital of its vendors and dealer partners. MACE supports suppliers in the areas of safety, manufacturing system development, manufacturing excellence and human capital development, and consultancy and training. MACE has designed several customised technical and behavioral training programs to facilitate the suppliers with the know-how to help them achieve maximum productivity.

Apart from the other benefits, the vendor partners have majorly benefitted from the training initiative. Till the end of March 2019, MACE has trained over 70,000 employees of vendor partners, resulting in over 90,000 man-days of training. The training initiative has benefitted over 740 Maruti Suzuki suppliers spread across the country.

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