ASHOK LEYLAND INDUSTRIAL VISIT

Leo Peter

Ashok Leyland Hosur Unit I along with the students of Batch-A had the opportunity to visit Ashok Leylands manufacturing unit located at Hosur. Organized by Professor Lawrence of the Operations department, we were scheduled to leave college at 12 noon on the 9th of November, 2012. Around 30 of us were travelling by bus, and 10 were coming in their own vehicles. We started off to Hosur at 12:15 PM, as scheduled, having made sure that everyone who had volunteered to come for the visit had boarded the bus. The bus was a 30-seater Swaraj Mazda bus from St. Josephs Boys High School. The seats were nice and comfortable and the journey was smooth, although the constant traffic jams common to Bangalore was something we couldnt avoid.

On the way to Ashok Leyland We arrived at the entry gate of the Hosur Unit of Ashok Leyland by 1:40 PM. Lawrence sir got off the bus to talk with the security personnel. After getting the clearance which took around 10 minutes, we entered the premises of the company. Our bus moved towards the parking area for visitor vehicles, from where all of us would have to walk. We were told to keep our mobile phones/camera/electronic gadgets in the bus itself since any such devices were prohibited while visiting the facility. All of us got off the bus and walked towards the HRD Centers checkpoint. A man from security brought a box of ID cards stating Industrial Visit which we were asked to display on our persons. Having completed these formalities, we were asked to form a line while a headcount was done. Then Lawrence sir arrived accompanied by Deepak Hegde and Amruth, both of whom had worked at Ashok Leyland before and were familiar with the operations of the facility. We followed them as they lead us to the entry block of the facility. We walked through the revolving turnstile and into this open and green landscape, with well maintained lawns on either side, and a 10-feet wide road in the center, along which we walked for about 400 meters to reach the HRD Centers main building. All of us were led into the auditorium where we took our seats around the conference table in the center. Mr Subramaniyam who was the HR Assistant, showed us a 7 minute video clip about Ashok Leyland, its history, vision, growth, CSR activities, upcoming projects and technological achievements. After the video ended, Lawrence sir introduced to us, Mr. Anil who was the HR manger of the Hosur Unit of Ashok Leyland. He welcomed us all to Ashok Leyland and gave a small talk about the company, its goals and its operations. Some of the things he mentioned included:

The Mission GEMBA initiative Ashok Leylands current production and future targets Employee Engagement programs Employee count Vision to be the top 5 in Bus and top 10 in Truck segment

After the presentation, we were led in a line, towards the first manufacturing facility where the engines for the Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) DOST were being produced. We entered the facility, and it was a completely different world altogether inside the manufacturing floor. The smell of metal and oil, the sound of heavy machinery spinning and polishing. We saw rows of LCV engines arranged on the floor. The entire floor was divided into separate production lines. We were given an introduction to the GEMBA initiative for employee engagement, after which we were led across the platform of one of the production lines. There were different machines being operated upon by workers. The engine would arrive on conveyer belts to each station where a specific manufacturing process would be initiated. Upon completion the engine would move forward to the next station for the next step in the manufacturing process. We were surrounded by high-tech equipment with complicated controls, and it was a very intriguing experience watching the manufacturing processes. We also saw some CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines automated machines which were used for precise movements to polish/grind and perform other manufacturing processes on the engines. I asked Mr. Subramaniyam about the efficiency of the machines and he said that one CNC machine could complete a manufacturing process in 10 minutes, which, for a human worker would require 1 hour to complete! After this, we went to the next facility, where the engines for trucks were being made. These engines were much larger in size and took longer to make. Different components of the engine were put together by workers, along various steps across the production line. At the end of the line, a crane would lift the engine to the adjacent inspection area on the manufacturing floor. Before entering this production line, each engine would be spray-painted in the painting section adjacent to the production line. Finally, we went to another facility where the engines were fitted onto the chassis of trucks. The engines would arrive from the previous facility where cranes would be used to place them onto the chassis. Additional parts such as tail and front lights, exhaust pipes, tires, etc. would be fitted onto the chassis to create the basic truck chassis upon which the final body would be built at a body building unit elsewhere. Having seen the chassis construction facility, we were taken back to the HRD Center for some refreshments tea and biscuits - in the canteen. We then went outside for a group photograph, and then started back towards our bus. Thus the visit to Ashok Leyland came to an end. It was a very enriching experience to learn more about the company and see first-hand how engines were manufactured and how the various operations were carried out across the facility. We thank SJCBA and especially, Lawrence sir, for giving us this wonderful opportunity.