The Automobile industry in India, which includes design, development, manufacturing, repairing and sale of cars, two-wheelers, three-wheelers, as well as trucks, buses and tractors, has witnessed an upsurge over the last few years and continues to boom even today. While India's automobile industry is one of the largest in the world, the country was the fourth largest exporter of automobiles in Asia last year. Additionally, as per the Automotive Mission Plan (AMP) 2006-2016, presented by the country's Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, India is a favourite investment destination for international auto-makers, many of whom have set up manufacturing divisions in the country, opening a whole new vista of job opportunities for engineers.
Choose your Lane as Automobile Engineers
A profusion of opportunities are available to fresh engineers depending on the specialisation of their degrees including mechanical, automobile, production and electrical. Broadly, the field offers a variety of jobs in research and development, manufacturing, design, sales and services and components manufacturing segments.
Research and Development in Automobile Industry
The automotive industry is volume driven and requires a certain critical mass for attracting the much needed investment in R&D and new product design and development. Investments in the R&D segment are imperative for innovations that are crucial for achieving and retaining competitiveness." Thus, increased attention is being paid to research and development in India. The industry is stressing on inventing new products and designs with increased frequency. Automobile Companies are scouting for fresh talent and fresher ideas. Another focus area of growth is product improvement that involves power unit research, emission control, vehicle simulation, and testing and prototype validation.
Generally, engineers with a postgraduate qualification are absorbed into R&D activities in the industry. Speaking about what a job in the R&D segment would ideally entail, Development of new products and improvement of existing products and processes are focus areas in research centres. Automobile segment offers immense scope and flexibility for new entrants. For instance, a trainee engineer on the shop floor may be transferred into sales and services, subject to his potential and aptitude.
Automobile Production
A career in automobile manufacturing usually begins on the shop floor and requires one to manage and supervise it. Plant process improvement is one of the goals of all major competitors in the industry. Supply chain management is another area of interest for job seekers dealing with logistics and optimisation of value chains. One may serve at different levels of the production unit depending on one's academic qualifications and experience. Freshers can be absorbed to work in growing fields such as robotics, supply chain management or operations as per their specialisation and aptitude. On the manufacturing front, one would handle operations such as procurement, material handling and quality control.
