A group of 45 students of IIPM Hyderabad visited the Mahindra & Mahindra Plant at Zahirabad, A.P. located at the border of Karnataka and Maharashtra. They were accompanied by the Dean Prof. Amit Baruah and two other internal faculties. The trip started at around 10 a.m. in the morning from the campus at Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. The location was at a distance of 125 kilometers. On the way the group crossed the industry belts of Patancheru and Vikarabad.
The group reached the picturesque Mahindra complex spread over 360 acres, around 2.45 p.m. They were warmly welcomed by the Head-HR, Mr. K.P.N. Rao. It was startling to know that all the 1600 workers and 100 odd managers were all housed in the same campus. The group assembled at the canteen where Mr. Rao and this group of supervisors briefed them about the organization.
The plant mainly concentrated on assembling of “Champion”
The group visited the assembly lines, painting sections, trimming section, etc. The entire process was centralized by a SAP system, with strict quality procedures in place. Kaizen is a widely accepted method. Mahindra has its own quality guideline called “MQS (Mahindra Quality Systems) “, and also employs BS7799 security standards. Low Cost Automation (LCA) is a commonly accepted concept.
The organization is widely renowned in its CSR, with promotion of child education through a programme called “nanhi kali”, along with “Nandi Foundation”. The families of all workers stay together as a community in itself, and celebrate all festivals and social events together. The trip ended at 5.30 p.m. and the group returned to campus around 8.30 in the evening. It was a learning experience for the students and the atmosphere was electric during the return trip, as the day of journey was a much desired break from the routine classes.
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/




