Tier 1 components major Schaeffler India today introduced its mobile training van in New Delhi aimed at upskilling mechanics in the aftermarket.

The manufacturer of engine, transmission and chassis system components such as automotive clutches and bearings under its FAG, INA and LuK brands, has replicated a training centre setup in a truck, which will do the rounds around the country traversing over 2,300km and covering 2,000 garages across 50 cities.

The company says that it is increasingly finding the need to train mechanics from independent garages and multi-brand service centres in the aftermarket to make them acquainted with the modern means of practising vehicle repair by using specialised tools and technology as there is a significant advancement in the way vehicles are being built and engineered in the present day.

According to Debasish Satpathy, vice-president, Automotive Aftermarket, Schaeffler India, "Our initiative is purely aimed at upskilling the targeted segment. While EVs will come later, there's already a technological shift which is happening in the current scenario and the cars that are there on the road today, these mechanics didn't see them until four years ago. So, we need to make them learn the best ways of repair and servicing."

The training van is equipped with all of Schaeffler's engine, transmission and chassis-related products, along with the right tools to get hands-on training from company professionals. Candidates will learn professional repair and fitment and will also be certified by the company at the end of the course which would last 3-4 hours in duration and would seat up to eight mechanics inside the air-conditioned classroom mocked on top of the truck.

Schaeffler eyes maximum reach with this mobile training program, which will begin its run from Delhi-NCR on October 11 and then move towards Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns in Punjab and Gujarat, before venturing further down south over the next three months.