It’s women only on Ola’s shopfloor in TN

“Aatmanirbhar Bharat requires Aatmanirbhar women! Proud to share that the Ola Futurefactory will be run ENTIRELY by women, 10,000+ at full scale! It’’ll be the largest all-women factory in the world!! Slightly smiling face,” he said in a tweet.

He also shared a video featuring the first batch of women hired to work at the facility.

In a blogpost, Aggarwal said Ola welcomed the first batch this week and “at full capacity, Futurefactory will employ over 10,000 women, making it the world’s largest women-only factory and the only all-women automotive manufacturing facility globally”.

This is the first in a series of initiatives Ola is undertaking to create a more inclusive workforce and provide economic opportunities for women across the board, he added.

This development in the electric vehicle space has added yet another feather to Chennai’s status as an investment hotbed for automobile majors. When it comes to the participation of female workers, TN is right on top of the list. Finnish telecom giant Nokia’s erstwhile facility at Sriperumbudur had several female employees on the assembly line. Triumph, the well-known lingerie brand, also employed a majority of women at its Guduvanchery facility.

VG Ramakrishnan, Managing Partner - Avanteum Advisors LLP, attributes the choice to employ women to their diligence and innate ability to execute intricate work. “Unlike men, who are usually employed in heavy industries, women have a comparative advantage, when it comes to precision work. From traditional roles in home-making, women have now switched effectively to skilled jobs on the factory floor, as witnessed in TN’s units.”

Interestingly, it is the woman worker’s affinity to continuance that also addresses the attrition issue. Except for compelling circumstances involving childcare or familial obligations, stability at the workplace is a priority for most of them. While they may not be the “go to” person at home to fix a tubelight, women are the primary point when it comes to stitching a button. Therein, their nimble and agile nature comes to the fore, characteristics that are essential for assembly line functions.

“Electric vehicles are basically computers on wheels and therefore, similar to a mobile phone production,” Ramakrishnan goes on to state, noting that there is no need of musclemen in this sphere of business. Technology empowerment of women besides exposure to a good primary education in the state have also been key factors that have contributed in creating an ecosystem that nurtures women participation in the workforce. Little wonder that the start-up leaders are capitalising on such opportunities when the likes of Bhavish say women workers will drive the creation of the best e-scooters in the world.