India’s largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, has stepped up its efforts toward gender diversity, with the number of women employees across its operations crossing 1,300. A significant part of this growth has come from increased hiring on the shopfloor at its manufacturing plants in Gurugram and Manesar.
Over the past two years, the company has focused on bringing more women into core manufacturing roles, including vehicle assembly, as well as engine and transmission operations. These employees are now actively contributing on the shopfloor, handling critical tasks such as assembly line work and quality control, where precision is essential.
Maruti Suzuki emphasised that women employees receive the same level of training and skill development as their male counterparts, ensuring equal opportunities for growth and career progression.
Managing Director and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi noted that while the company has traditionally had strong female representation in areas like engineering, marketing, finance, and supply chain, true inclusion is reflected in manufacturing roles.
He highlighted the company’s intent to further increase women’s participation on the shopfloor and outlined steps taken to support this goal. These include infrastructure upgrades such as dedicated restrooms, changing rooms, and crèche facilities, along with enhanced security measures like guards and patrolling during evening shifts.
Additionally, Maruti Suzuki has introduced sensitisation programmes to promote an inclusive workplace culture and mandates full participation in Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) training to ensure safety and awareness.
The initiative reflects a broader push within India’s manufacturing sector to improve diversity and create more inclusive, equitable workplaces.
With inputs from IANS