Developing Manufacturing Talent

Back in Focus

Promoter of a large manufacturing-led firm made an interesting comment in a recent discussion. He said:

Earlier, I have always believed finance to be the biggest barrier to growth. If I can secure the money for Capex, growth will automatically follow. Now, talent is my bottleneck. Funding I can find, but where do I find the right people.

The comment very well illustrates the significantly sharper focus on talent & culture in manufacturing set-ups in the last 12-18 months. A wide range of issues – from demand as well as supply sides – are driving this change.

Across industries, we see firms reacting by introducing new initiatives to engage, retain and develop talent in the manufacturing function. 

Structured Assessments
Promotion & Potential Identification

An icon of a tyre indicating towards tyre manufacturing talent

Leading Tyre Manufacturer
and Retailer

Initiative: Assessment Centre for 200 employees across plants

Focus: Identification of hi-pot talent, development plans for all participants

An icons of pills indicating pharmaceutical manufacturing talent

Large Indian Pharmaceutical
Player with 20k+ employees

Initiative: Assessment Centres to support promotion decisions across levels

Focus: Enhancing talent quality at middle management level, Consistency in promotion process across 10+ plants

Large Scale Skill Building Initiatives

An icon of fuse-box indicating an electronics manufacturing talent.

Leading Indian Firm in Electrical &
Electronics Sector

Initiative: Learning Workshop covering all 1000+ employees, 25k+ man-hours of training in FY 2024

Focus: Upskilling existing employees on critical technical and behavioural skills

An icon of factory showing manufacturing talent for the chemical industry

Leading Manufacturer of Specialty
Chemicals & APIs

Initiative: University tie-ups to educate large group of employees on topics like operational excellence & smart manufacturing skills

Focus: Upskilling existing employees on critical technical skills to support on-going automation efforts

Developing & Strengthening
Culture of Feedback

An icon of chemicals filled in tubes indicating manufacturing talent in specialty chemical industry.

Leading Indian Firm in Specialty
Chemicals Space

Initiative: An in-depth study of the current feedback processes and mind-set in the organization

Focus: Improving feedback mechanisms and strengthening the culture of feedback in the organization

An icon of specialty chemical factory indicating their manufacturing talent

Leading Indian Firm in the Petrochemical
Sector

Initiative: Training 200+ managers across locations and plants on feedback skills

Focus: Improving quality of feedback and promoting psychological safety in teams

Human capital is likely to play a more critical role in growth and sustainability in the manufacturing function than ever before. This shift toward a sharper focus on developing manufacturing talent, culture, and leadership development will define the future trajectory of many manufacturing firms.