The outbreak of the pandemic, Corona, has conjured an untimely twilight on the entire world and has forced a lockdown on almost all its proceeds. The swift passage of time and the laboriously slow progress to recovery is tearing the Governments of the nations between the need for lifting the economy and the responsibility for keeping the pandemic at bay. The great Indian nation is no exception to this. The ensuing parts of this article focus on the Indian manufacturing industry in light of the unsavoury developments.
The manufacturing sector of India is a major contributor to the country’s economy. The Government of India strives to increase the share of the manufacturing sector to the nation’s GDP from 16% to 25% by 2022. With the help of Make in India drive, India is on the path of becoming the hub for hi-tech manufacturing as global giants like GE, Siemens, HTC, Toshiba, and Boeing have either set up or are in process of setting up manufacturing plants in India. [1]
Given the fact that the nation’s economic aspirations are considerably invested in the manufacturing sector, it is evident that it is one of the inevitable sectors that solicit immediate attention when it comes to lifting the lockdown, imposed to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. The Indian manufacturing sector is also one of the challenging quarters that would demand mammoth measures to curtail the contraction of the disease. The following parts of this write up feature the proposed procedures that might eventually become the SOP and the new normal to prevent the spread of the pandemic.
“A raft of new protocols are being discussed with the government or are in the process of being finalised. For example, workers in big factories will soon be walking through fumigation chambers in order to get sanitised before they enter the premises. The first virus check will be at the factory buses taking them to work. The workers’ body temperature will be checked with infrared thermometers, and as is the plan for flights, they will be seated with one seat vacant between them to ensure social distancing. This is one of the suggestions being considered by the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA)”. [2]
The architects of the Indian manufacturing sector have agreed that in the post-COVID world, all shop floors will undergo major changes, with more automation and artificial intelligence taking over some functions to ensure social distancing while pushing for productivity. R C Bhargava, Chairman of Maruti Suzuki states, “Earlier, the focus was safety so that accidents were minimised, and the aim was to get to zero. Now, it will be health, and to protect workers from the virus, so that you have zero incident of infection. The standard operating procedures (SOPs) will fundamentally change.”[2]
Other major ploys set for deployment include avoiding any overlap or interaction between two shifts and sanitation of the plants with the help of professional agencies, rather than in-house units. Talking about the rules and procedures drawn to counter the invasion of Coronavirus, Mr. Sharad Malhotra, president of Nippon Paints says that “Some of them are specific till the coronavirus is not eradicated. The rest would become part of SOP. We will also see a lot of automation to enhance productivity.”[2]
The world has not known a standard solution for operating factories during a pandemic. So, as cited above, numerous insights and strategies are bound to crop up to handle matters of immediate concern and to devise long-term measures. The Indian manufacturing sector has to brace itself to encounter the turbulence of trial and error in implementing the new initiatives delivered by the new phase. We, as a nation, are sure that the industry will emerge victorious in keeping its factory and employees safe, healthy, and productive by tactfully overcoming the hurdles posed by the novel coronavirus.
Reference:
- https://www.ibef.org/industry/manufacturing-sector-india.aspx
- https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/firms-weigh-measures-to-adapt-to-post-covid-world-ensuring-productivity-120040801683_1.html