International Women’s Day: The Heroes In Automotive Manufacturing

It’s International Women’s Day today and women have now become an integral part of the manufacturing process in the automotive industry. Many manufacturers such as Tata Motors, MG Motor India, Ola Electric and Bajaj’s Chetak division have already deployed an all-women workforce at their assembly lines. 

Tata Motors

Tata Motors has an entire assembly line dedicated to women, who manufacture the brand’s flagship products – the Harrier and Safari. While the brand employs more than 5,000 women across all plants, an all-women workforce of more than 1,500 women assemble the two SUVs at its plant in Pune. Even at its commercial vehicle plants in Pune, Pantnagar, Lucknow and Jamshedpur, Tata Motors employs over 2,500 women technicians to assemble the brand’s trucks and buses. 

To protect women’s interests and safety in the workplace, Tata Motors also has a few initiatives in place. The marque has sensitisation programs to address unconscious bias during the hiring process and also has an all-inclusive interview panel to reduce bias in the hiring process. It also uses specialised machinery to accommodate the physiological differences between men and women workforce. Notably, Tata Motors also engages with the families of the women in its workforce to reduce any social stigma and provide reassurance regarding the well-being and safety of these women. 

Ola Electric

Ola Electric employs more than 10,000 women at its Future Factory in Tamil Nadu. The marque also has plans to add 10,000 women to its workforce at its Tamil Nadu plant. Ola claims this is the largest women-only workforce in the world. 

MG Motor India

MG Motor India’s factory in Halol, Gujarat also has over 6,000 employees with more than 2,200 of them being women. Furthermore, MG has also announced its plans to have half of its workforce consisting of only women by 2025. MG also has an initiative called ‘Drive her back’ which motivates the re-entry of women into the workplace after extended career breaks, marriage breaks or maternity leaves. This one-year-long program invites women aiming to resume their careers with a minimum work experience of two years. Women who have experience working on technical, strategic and commercially focused projects can apply for this program.

MG also has multiple safety initiatives for its women workforce. Near its plant in Halol, MG has a hostel dedicated to 350 women employees with facilities including housekeeping, food and door-to-door transportation.

Maruti Suzuki

Maruti Suzuki recently introduced many women into its workforce as it plans to double its sales to four million cars by 2030. Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Maruti Suzuki, has said that to achieve this doubling of sales, the brand has to double its production. To this end, Maruti Suzuki has hired many women apprentices at its plant in Gurugram and they have been hired under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship’s ‘Skill India’ program. 

Bajaj Auto's Chetak

Bajaj Auto’s electric division, Chetak, also employed a workforce comprising 80 per cent women to produce its namesake electric scooter. 

Royal Enfield

The company has over 520 women are dedicated to their craft at the Oragadam facility, while a formidable team of 735 women contribute at Vallam Vadagal. These women are not just filling assembly lines. They are taking on diverse and critical positions, ranging from operators to supervisors. This dedication to inclusivity goes beyond simply hiring women.

Royal Enfield said, "Our commitment to female employees goes beyond recruitment and development. At Royal Enfield, we're not just manufacturing motorcycles; we're building a future where every member of our team, regardless of gender, feels empowered and valued."

This focus on a gender-balanced workforce not only strengthens Royal Enfield's company culture but also showcases its commitment to building a future where everyone has the chance to succeed.

Women in other automotive fields

So we’ve seen so much participation of women in automotive manufacturing, but that’s not all. They are also frequently seen being involved in the research and development, marketing and communications, human resources, finance as well as many leadership roles.