The manufacturing sector in India is undergoing a positive transformation, coming back into the reckoning with great opportunities driven by domestic demand as well as expansion into emerging markets with India as a hub for more companies. We are already witnessing robust growth in almost all sectors, while higher efficiencies are being sought. All this would mean more employment in primary as well as secondary and tertiary sectors related to manufacturing.
Need for customised training
Customised training in the manufacturing sector is the need of the hour as the Indian manufacturing sector aims to get better skilled manpower to increase their productivity and operating efficiencies, to implement manufacturing excellence and global best practices. There is an urgent need to expand structurally the ambit of finishing school training to meet the current demands. There is a lot to be desired with the contract or temporary manpower being provided by agencies to these sectors today, and it causes safety risk as well as potential liabilities to manufacturers if not addressed on a priority basis. While some of the individual companies are undertaking initiatives, there is a need for a larger industry, micro industry, trade associations, and government collaboration in this area in line with the demands of the next decade.
India and countries in the emerging markets are already competing in several sectors with the developed nations in the manufacturing economy. Some of the best companies in the manufacturing sector on a global scale are from India and emerging markets already. This will only accelerate in the future, the reason being consumer demand drives innovation, efficiencies and excellence. As the Indian domestic market and those of other emerging markets gain ground, they would drive organisations in these economies to build better and innovative products, at lesser costs and service their markets better. Once they start doing this for their markets, rest of the world becomes a lot easier for these companies to conquer.
The lead India has in the manufacturing sector is its people, and the access to a new emerging
 high growth market. The next age of manufacturing excellence would belong to how well the sector utilises its workforce – the most strategic asset for an organisation. With enough already done on material, machines and methods, man (people) is the area which is going to drive the next age of manufacturing – be it operational efficiencies or innovation. India is uniquely positioned with a massive, young and educated workforce waiting to explode on the global horizon with aspirations, ambitions to strive hard and excel. Hence, we have the quantities, the right attitude and aspirations. If we increase the quality levels from our current levels by focussed training and skill upgradation, we would be unstoppable.In order to compete in the global economy, given labour cost arbitrage, manufacturing companies need to innovate for the Indian market and take that story to emerging markets and then global. The capital efficiencies of innovation one can derive out of a cost conscious domestic market can be so compelling that if we can be successful in serving our market profitably and innovatively, we would be much better off in every other market which is likely to be willing to pay more for the same.
James Thomas, Country Manager – India Operations, Kronos Inc |
The hiring trends we are seeing for full time employees in the manufacturing industry in India are the demand for higher skilled and younger workforce. The other trend we are seeing is for non-core to be outsourced or to be on contract with third party organisations. So there is a rebalancing of recruitment happening in the manufacturing industry and the pace of this is only expected to further accelerate with the heightened focus on world class manufacturing from India.
