Interview by Bhushan MhapralkarQ. When was the Layam Group established?
A. The Layam Group was established in 2007 as an organisation to help companies acquire the necessary manpower.Q. What kind of auto industry recruitment does the Layam Group specialise in?
A. The Layam Group has been providing manpower for the auto industry since its establishment in 2007. It has helped the industry acquire the necessary manpower of more than one-lakh people on direct payrolls of organisations. It has also worked as a staffing provider to the companies with specialisation in permanent deployment, RPO and staffing deployment.Q. What sections of the auto industry does the Layam Group carry out recruitment for?
A. The Layam Group has been addressing manpower requirements of various sections of the auto industry as per their requirements.
To be precise, the company has been working with the complete gamut of functions in the
auto industry.Q. What nature of recruitment the company does?
A. In the case of permanent deployment, the company has been scouting the profile as per the requirement of the respective organisation and helping it to get the right person for the job. As part of the process, it is also carrying out profiling duties as well. In the case of RPO, which is a dedicated service, the Layam Group has been creating dedicated recruitment teams. It has been placing recruiters at the client’s end to coordinate as well as understand the exact requirements and help address the same at the earliest. In the case of staffing deployment, the Layam Group does white-collar and blue-collar sourcing. In white-collar sourcing, the company provides people with minimum experience and exposure. In blue-collar sourcing, the company has been providing manpower such as fresh engineers and diploma holders with less than 60 per cent scores. It is, as per the need, taking them on their payroll and imparting basic skill sets necessary.Q. What kind of expertise and knowledge does it call for?
A. The expertise and knowledge necessary for auto industry recruitment varies as per the requirements of organisations. It varies in terms of functions and many other factors. To provide a bird’s eye view, the Layam Group aids organisations to recruit people across functions that encompass the plant, production, marketing, sales, accounts, human resources, purchase, design, etc. Each of these functions calls for a different set of expertise. For example, the sourcing for design functions involves people that have a certain proficiency in the use of design softwares like Catia.Q. Does the Layam Group work with auto components manufacturers and dealers as well, or with OEMs only?
A. The Layam Group has helped not just the OEMs with manpower sourcing, but also the auto components manufacturers and dealers. It has supported various sections of the auto industry pan-India.Q. Are the requirements of manpower been changing in the auto industry, and how?
A. The transition of the auto industry in its ways of working has had an effect on the nature of its manpower needs. In view of the shifting and evolving skill set needs of the auto industry, the Layam Group has been adapting itself too. For example, the focus is on ‘Manufacturing 4.0’, which speaks about digitisation at the shopfloor level. In-line with this, the manpower requirements are shifting to people with the use of modern and advanced automation systems and machinery. The requirements are about artificial intelligence, about data collection, data analysis, about the use of data that can help improve efficiency, agility, productivity, etc. A big shift to advanced algorithmic software is taking place. Industry shifts like BSVI and development of electric vehicles are also having an effect on manpower and skill set requirements. A trend of seeking manpower not just from within the sector, but from other sectors is also growing.Q. Is contract manufacturing coming off the edge in the auto industry?
A. Contract manufacturing has been evolving at a high pace. It is giving the auto industry an opportunity to focus on its core activities without losing sight of the cost factor. As the industry organisations look at reducing costs, scaling up productivity and achieving 100 per cent quality, contract manufacturing is rapidly evolving. It is helping organisations to work with specialists to outsource some of their sourcing responsibilities and concentrate instead on other equally important tasks. With brain count and headcount at the core of the contract manufacturing, the effect of it on manpower has been about external agencies specialising in the respective field providing the best manpower to ensure high productivity and quality standards. Contract manufacturing has also been driving a change from the generic nature of manpower sourcing to sourcing of the manpower that is actually needed. The best part of contract manufacturing perhaps is the involvement of an external manpower supplying agency to be a part of the company’s growth and be accountable for its production needs.Q. Does the nature of recruitment for the commercial vehicle industry (truck & bus) differ from other streams of the auto industry?
A. The recruitment scenario of the industry is changing. As far as the CV industry goes, there is a complex structure in place that exceeds manufacturing and encompasses supply chain and logistics. Add to this the prospect of digitisation, and the manpower requirements have been changing. This is especially the case in the wake of controlling costs. In the case of fleets and transporters, it is about reducing costs, reduce maintenance costs, reducing the cost of damage or insurance. The recruitment needs have changed, and are continuing to change. These can get quite technical in nature too.Q. What CV industry clients does the Layam Group cater to?
A. The Layam Group caters to CV industry organisations like Ashok Leyland, Tata Marcopolo, Tata Motors and Tata Hitachi.