Maruti ups the ante on quality with Dojo centres

It is the largest car producer in India by miles but Maruti Suzuki has not let complacency come in its way.

The company continues to push the envelope on optimising output with minimal defects on the shop floor. As a result, there is no compromise on quality.

As part of this drive, Maruti recently commissioned ‘Dojo’ training centres with its vendor partners. The idea is to maintain top-class quality at the supplier’s end.

But then what does Dojo mean? It is a Japanese term, which translates into ‘place or the way’. You can find it displayed in a hall or space for intensive learning or meditation. It can also be found in temples and in the field of martial arts.

Grassroot-level training

However, in the industry, it becomes synonymous with training from the grassroot-level. It is in this context that Maruti uses Dojo to help its vendors set up such halls or enclosed areas in their facilities to train new workers. One of its largest suppliers, Uno Minda has a facility in Manesar (Haryana) that houses the first Dojo centre. Maruti helped set it up in 2016 and it has since been a big help to other suppliers, be it Tier 1 or Tier 2.

“We want to impart training that makes the worker adept at various standard practices before he joins the shop floor,” says NK Minda, Chairman and Managing Director, Uno Minda. This has helped keep attrition levels low while boosting confidence of workers even in the initial period.

According to Minda, the company has trained over 400 people so far in various batches of 20 to 25 each. The 17-day programme is divided into various modules with each focussed on making the workers adept in handling a slew of tasks on the shop floor.

This initiative got a fillip after Osamu Suzuki, Chairman of Suzuki Motor Corporation, reiterated his support for the Government’s ‘Make in India’ vision at a recent event. He urged the industry to add ‘Quality in India’ as part of this effort, which puts in context the importance of Dojo.

“It (Dojo) brings in loyalty as workers see growth and understand that continuous skilling opens up avenues for career progression. We believe in friendly policies to retain employees. Operators are able to ladder up as they keep skilling themselves,” says Minda.

Training has been part and parcel of the company’s culture but Dojo has made it more structured. As a result, skilling, re-skilling and right skilling can be institutionalised as an integral part of the ecosystem.

Expanding Dojo

Maruti has now decided to set up Dojo training centres at all its 400-plus vendor partners by 2020. Beyond Uno Minda, it already has 90 Dojo centres functioning well with suppliers such as Sanden Vikas, Mindarika, SKH Metals, JBML and Asahi Glass.

There are different Dojos for different types of work, be it lights, HVAC or the engine (which depends upon parts used). These are curriculum-driven trainings while there are also practical demonstrations for fitting as well as explanation of materials that go into various parts so that every component is familiar to the worker. “Familiarisation with the range of defects (age-related/manufacturing-related/handling-related, etc) is taught,” explains Ajay K Tomer, Executive Director (Corporate Planning), Maruti Suzuki. For instance, in the screw fitting area, the focus is on hand-eye coordination, differentiation between different screws and components, segregation in order to optimise time, and so on.

Training also includes ‘hand movement’ for sensitisation of correct movements to fast-track processes on the shop floor. There is continuous training on which part goes where and in which order.

‘Safety Dojo’ is also an important part of the training process. According to Tomer, workers are taught what not to touch while personal protective equipment methodologies go into greater detailing on handling emergencies like fire.

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