Minda Furukawa Electric Pvt. Ltd (MFE), a Joint Venture Company between, Spark Minda, Ashok Minda Group of India and Furukawa of Japan has set up an Automotive Component manufacturing unit at Tihar Jail, New Delhi under the PPP model for its Customer Maruti Suzuki India Limited. The inauguration of the facility was made on 5th September, 2014 by the Tihar Jail Management.
The investments at Tihar Jail includes machinery, raw material and other quality systems and procedures as laid down per policy and the facility will be run by Jail convicts under the supervision of MFE. In this manufacturing unit, Wire Harness product, a key automotive component, will be manufactured by the Jail convicts and will be supplied to Maruti Suzuki. Operations commenced from 1st April, 2014 and after successful completion of training to inmates, the production started with daily supply for part sets of 200-250 Wire Harness. The finished product thus goes for final inspection and quality check and is then is transported to the Customer in Gurgaon. As a next step, the Tihar Jail authorities have agreed to facilitate a bigger area for production inside their premises once the production will reach to its full capacity and bigger wire harnesses will come into production.
It took a year’s time to conceptualize, envision and install the entire set up here. This social enterprise will provide employment to approximately 200 – 250 convicts. Looking at the business aspect of it, MFE has ensured to provide the top quality product to the customer and accordingly has set-up the check points for it. So far MFE, T.J Unit has been able to supply zero defect components in last five months of their operation as convicts follow strict work regime and work under T.J discipline. To ensure the discipline of Jail, the raw material entry and the dispatch of finished product has been kept under the control of MFE so that no nuisance takes place. To facilitate this entire process, few employees are fully deployed at the Jail; thus smoothing up the complete coordination and assuring Quality process.
This initiative, which is one of its own kinds in India’s automotive industry, will certainly create an opportunity for the way of life for these convicts, who get employment inside the jail and can also support their families from jail itself through income generation. A dedicated team of MFE trains and imparts skills to them thus catering automobile industry in their own way. These convicts will be able to earn as per the minimum wages act of govt. simultaneously, will also contribute for welfare fund for the inmates and a part of their wages will also go to the victim families as well. Hence, once the convict is out of Jail after completing his sentence, he is fully trained for an employment in the Automobile/ Auto-Component Industry, for which will give a work experience certificate.
Mr. K.D.Singh, Jt President said, “This was an idea Conceptualized by Mr. Maenishi – President, MFE and myself. We took it forward as a challenge expecting a lot of road blocks. However, we were pleasantly surprised by the eagerness and the response we got from the TJ authorities. This built up our confidence to convert the concept into reality.”
Mr N.K Taneja, Group Chief Marketing Officer, Spark Minda Group said, “This initiative will certainly produce a sustainable collaborative social business model, which will benefit the convicts of Tihar Jail, their families and victims also. We are certainly exploring such avenues at other places also”.
Spark Minda Group has been working on such model for one of its Business Group Companies in Germany also. MKTSN, Pirna, Germany in association with Dresden Jail is doing such activity since 2005. There are 25 inmates in this unit who are manufacturing small Plastic parts like sub-assemblies and even few completely finished parts. MKTSN has organized all necessary equipment, fixtures, supervisors etc. inside the jail premises.
Under the T.J initiative, several projects are already successfully running inside the Tihar Jail premises which includes, shoe making, chemical unit, bakery items, paper processing, furniture, carpentry etc and this is the first time in the history of Indian automotive industry, that an automotive component manufacturing unit has been set up at Asia’s Largest Jail in New Delhi.
jail premises.