As a first of its kind initiative in India, Yamaha India has started a new assembly line for scooters which is run entirely by women employees. This is the first time in India that a company has developed scooters for women assembled by women. The company recently hired around 200 women to run its assembly line for scooters at the Surajpur plant in UP.
Through this initiative, Yamaha is not just creating employment for these young recruits but is also providing them classroom as well as on-the-job training. These girls will undergo an apprenticeship programme approved by the state government which will last for 3 years wherein they will receive industrial training by being on the job. They will also be appearing for an examination by the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) by the end of each year and after completion of their term these girls will be receiving an ITI certification approved by the UP government.
Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Roy Kurian, National Business Head, India Yamaha Motor, said, “This is the first time in Yamaha’s history, not only in India but also worldwide, that the company has started an assembly line which is run exclusively by women. Being the pioneers in this movement, Yamaha certainly hopes to see this initiative being replicated across the industry.”
The company has also developed a riding training program for female customers. The riding training program known as the Yamaha Female Riding Training program will be implemented across India very soon. This move is very much in line with the company’s plans to target young urban women with its recently launched scooter RAY. The company has also expanded its dealer network and specially improved customer care quality for female customers by appointing more female staffs at customer contact points and introducing female customer care programs.
The company unveiled its RAY automatic scooter in Hyderabad on 14th September. With Ray, the Company formally announced its entry into the rapidly growing Indian scooter segment. RAY is the first Yamaha model to enter India’s scooter Segment and with the addition of the scooter Ray in its portfolio, India Yamaha motor is looking at a market share of 20% in the scooter segment by 2016.
