An automobile industry veteran talks about job prospects and the need for a syllabus overhaul

In a car manufacturing company, where does the automobile engineer stand in the scheme of things?

Generally, the automobile industry employs engineers from several disciplines like mechanical engineering, electrical/electronics engineering and automobile engineering. Engineers from specialised disciplines like mechanical and process automation, metallurgy, tool and die development also work in specific domains.

All these engineers, after initial training, become part of the total development team that works on any new model. Being a part of the team for a new model/product refreshment development team, their suggestions are taken into consideration in different phases of development.

What jobs can an engineer do in an automobile company?

Engineers are involved not only in product design and engineering, but also in various other functions — be it production, project engineering, supply chain, quality assurance, product engineering (R&D), marketing and service functions.

Talking specifically about engineers from an ‘automobile engineering’ background, there are not many institutes in India that offer these courses. However, they can also work in these functions.

With regard to the scope for employment in other sectors, people from automobile engineering can join auto component companies, design houses, research institutes and also software.

What quality of training can an automobile engineer expect in this country?

Training is specific for each manufacturer — it depends on the extent of engineering activities being done in the company, the company philosophy, infrastructure and the support system.

At Maruti Suzuki, a fresh engineer is exposed to all functions of the organisation to give him/her good insight into the various aspects of automobiles before s/he is made to focus on a specific function and then a specific area.

Car industries across nations have been hit by the recession. What is an automobile engineer’s future in this scenario?

Recession did hit automobile industries the world over, but in India, the industry had a short spell of ‘slowdown’, not ‘recession’, and has shown signs of positive growth in the past six months.

We at Maruti Suzuki plan to make Maruti R&D the design hub of Suzuki for compact car design and development. We have not only continued the recruitment of fresh and experienced engineers within India, but have also gone overseas to hire talent.

Looking at the projected growth of the automobile industry in India and the expanding scope of activities, I feel there would be a shortage of qualified (employable) engineers. Institutes need to review their course content and match it with the requirements of the industry.

Does the current level of training equip one to make green cars?

A fresh graduate has basic knowledge of various engineering subjects. But s/he requires a lot of domain knowledge and experience to work/contribute in any field. A green car is one step beyond a normal car, so it needs a good deal of experience. It’s only after working on such green projects that people can gain expertise and contribute in future.

Author: I. V. Rao, managing executive officer (engineering), Maruti Suzuki India Limited interviewed by Sanchita Guha.

Date: 21st Oct., 2009

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