Maruti Suzuki to up R&D headcount to 1,200 during by april 2011
Maruti Suzuki to up R&D headcount to 1,200 during by april 2011
Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL), which had earlier decided to hire 1,000 professionals for its Engineering,Research,Design and Development Division by 2010, is now looking to ramp it up further to 1,200 in the next financial year. It is to be mentioned that currently 970 people are stationed in their R&D centre and other 30 will be roped in shortly. The company is also hopeful to strengthen its capability in developing new models from the R&D team in India. Moreover, MSI is keen to develop its in-house capability with Suzuki’s support and will also act as the designing and manufacturing hub for small cars for the ASEAN region. Currently, Maruti Suzuki’s existing boffins are busy developing a made-in India car that is slated to hit the market by 2012-13.
Shinzo Nakanishi, chief executive officer and managing director of the company had earlier said in the report that the Indian market needs an additional R&D capability to help keep refreshing model portfolio. “Indian engineers will focus on the Indian market and come out with India-specific models apart from bringing customised versions of global models to India,” he added.
“A separate HR team is supporting our R&D & Engineering team on required HR processes to facilitate this ambitious growth plan whereby we would design new products for the Indian market while working alongside Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) R&D and Engineering team on future global projects,” he added. MSIL R&D will work not only for the Indian market, but also for the ASEAN region while SMC would focus on R&D for Japan, Europe and US and on new automobile technology like hybrids, electric vehicles et al.
R&D team was just 175 in 2003
Looking back, the strength of the MSIL R&D team was just 175 in 2003 when it was engaged in working on live projects like co-designing with SMC for Swift, Swift Dzire, Estilo, KB engines, working on facelifts, & conceptualising , designing & developing small cars for India.
“While facelifts and new model activities will continue in future to take care of the large portfolio, the scope will broaden. In future, we would complement the SMC R&D in Japan to meet the global requirements,” added IV Rao, managing executive officer (engineering), Maruti Suzuki India Limited.
He added that even in the midst of global economic crisis, hiring had continued with special focus on R&D & Engineering talent. “That was the best time to pick up talent. We recruited two foreigners and five Indian migrants with a vast experience in automotive sector who were looking for an opportunity to relocate during the crisis,” Mr Rao said.
Maruti Suzuki was allotted 700 acres of full-fledged R&D centre
Last year, Maruti Suzuki was allotted 700 acres of land by the Haryana government at Industrial Model Township (IMT) Rohtak for setting up a full-fledged R&D centre. The centre, which is under construction, will also house a test course besides accommodating its ancillaries. In addition to complete design and development of the vehicle, it will also have facilities for component durability testing and performance evaluation. It is expected to provide house laboratories for wind tunnel testing, collision testing, emission testing, durability testing.
Of the 700 acres allotted, 100 acres will be leased out to Maruti Suzuki India Limited ancillaries. 600 acres would be utilised for setting up the R&D facility and test course. The new facility is expected to attract investment of approximately Rs. 1,000 crore to the region and will be the largest facility of Suzuki Motor Corporation outside Japan. This is in addition to the Rs. 9,000 crore that the company has earmarked for a diesel manufacturing plant, a port-based facility and modernisation.
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