Category Archives: All Projects

GMM Pfaudler Limited

All Projects

  • Testimonials

    Andreas Bischof
    Head of VET, Bühler Group

    “Every dollar invested in these promising talents is money well spent and a win-win for workers and companies. The Swiss apprenticeship model makes economic sense because it not only gives graduates a chance to start their careers fully prepared, but the company also benefits from a highly skilled workforce.”

    Kamesh Sundaram
    Head - People Development at Texmo Industries

    “When our students graduate from SkillSonics training programs they are ready for the shop floor and are immediately deployable as a productive workforce”

    Kirit Patel
    Assistant Manager, Swiss VET and Welding, GMM Pfaudler

    “Students are able to perform a quality check on their own – they are trained to identify and correct the mistakes when the required quality standard is not met. The Swiss methodology prevents them from making the same errors again.”

GMM Pfaudler Limited

GMM Pfaudler, an Indian market leader in the manufacturing of equipment for the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors

GMM Pfaudler Limited is a leading supplier of engineering equipment and systems for critical applications in the global chemical and pharmaceutical markets. GMM Pfaudler has been working with SkillSonics to implement the Swiss VET System since 2012.

Summary

GMM Pfaudler prioritizes a long-term strategy that ensures the seamless transfer of knowledge to the next generation of employees. As part of this undertaking GMM Pfaudler asked SkillSonics to establish a multi-skilled production technician program in welding, fabrication and CNC machining. The program took place at its factory-based VET training center built according to Swiss parameters. The students systematically increased the amount of time spent in the workshop from 40% in the first semester to a full day in the last semester of their 2-year course. They acquired practical skills and after graduating could immediately be deployed on the shopfloor.

Challenges

GMM Pfaudler was established in 1962 as Gujarat Machinery Manufacturers. It grew successfully into a market leader in glass lined equipment in India and has been proud of its expertise and highly qualified workforce. There was no room for error when the question of how best to transfer expertise to the next generation of workers arose; GMM wanted to get its strategy right from the start. “We wanted to ensure, that we keep providing high quality products, services and solutions in a timely manner to all our clients irrespective of some of our most senior employees’ retirement,” says Mr. Chandulal Makadia, Vice Preisdent, Manufacturing.

How SkillSonics Helped

The solution lay in finding a reliable partner who would assist GMM Pfaudler to design a training program with a focus on practical training and a smooth workforce transition. GMM Pfaudler chose SkillSonic’s Multi-Skilled Production Technician (MSPT) course. In the first semester, the trainees spent one day a week in the company workshop and attended theory classes, including an English language course for the rest of the week. By the third semester, there was an equal distribution of classroom study and practical training.  The trainees spent their entire fourth semester in the workshop. During the program, the trainees learned key elements of welding and fabrication technologies directly related to GMM Pfaudler processes. They also had time to work on their own projects to develop creativity and problem-solving abilities.

Results
  • Knowledge transfer and transition to a new generation of workers was resolved in a structured and seamless manner.
  • Since 2012 a total of 109 apprentices have been trained. Most of the apprentices have since joined GMM Pfaudler as permanent employees.
  • Employee loyalty and commitment to GMM Pfaudler makes it easier to plan for future initiatives.
  • Better expertise has resulted in more efficiency, increased productivity and improved discipline.

Texmo Industries

All Projects

  • Testimonials

    Andreas Bischof
    Head of VET, Bühler Group

    “Every dollar invested in these promising talents is money well spent and a win-win for workers and companies. The Swiss apprenticeship model makes economic sense because it not only gives graduates a chance to start their careers fully prepared, but the company also benefits from a highly skilled workforce.”

    Kamesh Sundaram
    Head - People Development at Texmo Industries

    “When our students graduate from SkillSonics training programs they are ready for the shop floor and are immediately deployable as a productive workforce”

    Kirit Patel
    Assistant Manager, Swiss VET and Welding, GMM Pfaudler

    “Students are able to perform a quality check on their own – they are trained to identify and correct the mistakes when the required quality standard is not met. The Swiss methodology prevents them from making the same errors again.”

Texmo

Texmo Industries has been in the electric motor and agricultural pump industry for over sixty years. It began as a supplier of India’s nascent textile motor market. Today, it has an annual turnover of over INR 10 billion. This makes it the market leader in India’s pump industry.

Summary

Texmo Industries has been seeking a professional provider of world-class vocational education to train its workforce. It chose SkillSonics to establish a Multi-Skilled Production Technician Program in CNC machining and mechatronics at its factory-based training center in Coimbatore, India. The students acquire hands-on practical skills through Swiss VET training in the classroom and on the Texmo shopfloor. The training programs furnish Texmo Industries with a dedicated, scalable and highly-skilled workforce.

Challenges

Although Texmo’s new hires had technical degrees, they lacked the skills and social competencies to work in the factory.  Texmo recognized the importance of training future employees and ensuring the availability of a quality, multi-skilled workforce familiar with its processes.

How SkillSonics helped

Texmo Industries partnered with SkillSonics to implement a VET program at their manufacturing facility in Coimbatore.  They selected the Multi-Skilled Production Technician (MSPT) course which is open to tenth grade graduates and lasts three years. During this time trainees learned process, assembly, CNC machine operations and testing skill. They were also taught communication skills and good workplace practices. 80% of the training was practical and directly related to Texmo processes. The apprentices now have the hard and soft skills to perform well.

In parallel, SkillSonics implements Train the Trainer (ToT) programs for Texmo trainers. It conducts regular assessments and quality assurance programs for competence building. As a result, Texmo deploys some of their production personnel as guest faculty at training institutes.

Results
  • A total of 39 apprentices trained in two years. A new batch of 45 students has now joined the training program Texmo trainees participated in the World Skills Preliminaries in 2018.
  • Improved expertise leading to better workforce performance and a more productive work environment.
  • A disciplined and socially responsible graduate pipeline in line with Texmo’s culture and reputation.