My 2 years with Auto industry – Part 2

My 1.5 years at Dynamic evaluation group

I still remember the first few days in Dynamic evaluation group, I was nervous and could not digest the fact that I was not into static group. The group head was in SMC, Japan for some official trip. So we were free for about one week. The only work that we did in the first week is keep chatting with immediate seniors and see what kind of work is done and I was keen going home at 5:30 pm ¹

The first meeting ² with my boss was interesting. He gave us a mail, which said time, date, venue and the agenda. He was sharing a lot of things with us. His experience and some general rules and what will be our training at the department and what he is expecting from us. He also specifically mentioned do not fear about the punch timings and said that he is interested in work and do not mind about when you do it. I took it as a golden statement and I was late to company 44 days in 280 working days in the previous year.

I was in training again. But this was different. There were only 2 engineers, immediate seniors and other engineers were at Japan for projects for a year. I joined a small team with one Engineer (whom I knew as we used to play badminton together) and one supervisor, which was looking after RITZ project. The vehicles were at the final evaluation stage.

I remember my first on the job training. Since I was new they asked me work with hands. The first work I did is preparing the vehicle for the test. The person incharge asked me to change the tyres (as the tyres were old and test that we are going to do, required new tyres) and set the pressure. I managed to remove it but during fitment I changed the direction of the wheel nut and tightened it. At first glance he did not find it but when I was about to finish the final wheel he found the direction of the nut different and commented with smile. “Welcome Engineer”

I think he ³ did not know that I am an automobile engineer else he would have laughed more.There were many instances, like above happened. I have a good knowledge on only systems that fail or show some observations. Some systems like speedometer, Airbag, sensors never failed in our test and hence even today I am at the learning stage.

My immediate senoir during training was also very good. We were not in good terms initially as I have not spent time with him. But when I said I was very comfortable working with him he was happy and we started to work together. He was really fast and capable but lost interest in work as time passed. (May be as he was fast more and more work was dumped on him) He was the coordinator for Ritz, the new Wagon R and the new Alto where we have the BS4. The Wagon R project was at initial stage and I started to work with him. I asked him that I will work for Wagon R and asked him to take care for other models by himself (as they were not sexy and not many tests were planned). I learnt a lot working with him especially the technical stuffs and whom to contact for what issue.

The work load went high with new upcoming models and every project was not within time line. I think that made the difference. I learnt the work and I could manage with his help. I concentrated only in Wagon R and he did for the rest. Later the departmental structure was changed as there were too many projects because of BS4 norms and I became the model coordinator for Wagon R and he was given in charge for the review meetings and another new model.

I can say I was over enthusiastic about my first project. ( I still remember his comments that I will lost interest after one year. May be because he said I was keen not to lose) I raised very small observtions as issues in meetings (Once our senior boss asked my senior to teach me, to quote his exact words, “yaar please teach that kid yaar he is raising unwanted issues. He is not given this project to take a benz out of Wagon R. He will make his and our life miserable”

Then the remedy, I never raised issues as critical in meetings but discussed directly, personally and in informal conversations with the concerned.

My boss has a specific style. If work is to be done he comes to our seat, catch us and have a cup of tea with us and discuss. I soon became an expert at this. Like many I also find it easy to discuss a serious issue during tea breaks than discussing as critical.

Things changed when other engineers returned from Japan after their projects and learnings.

I will update in my next blog.

1. I quote this line “I am home at 5:30 pm” for the past 2 years to every software engineering friends and I love their reaction as manytimes they also have some weird scoops and make me gape. I do remember one of my friend called me up at 3 am in morning and said he will be in Delhi by 8 am and asked if I am free. At the end of conversation he said sorry man to call you at this time I forgot you would be sleeping

2. Later I became allergic to meetings. I hate it. I remember one of the meetings with our Japanese counterpart from SMC. He knows a little English and we were discussing the issues in new Wagon R. That is the longest meeting I did. It started at 9:15 am and went till 2 pm. My ass was paining sitting in the chair without moving or giving it some air. That was a painful day but my boss appreciated me for the work just immediately after the meeting in front of other senior people. It became a painful good day.

3. Well, he is not a engineer but diploma holder with 6 years of experience and one of the best person in our department. He is a fast tracker who gets the best grading every year. He taught me driving and how to work and resolve the problems that come during development of vehicle. Every engineer in our department is dependent on people like him to understand the defects and to resolve. Still we are their boss by hierarchy, a degree makes the difference!! Only different work that we engineers do more then them is we try to understand how countermeasures are taken and we approve that it is effective. I felt really proud to sign in the document when suspension tuning was done.

My 2 years with Auto Industry - Part 1

Come June 2, I will be completing 2 years in Indian auto industry. If I turn back I remember,

The KICK start

The 4 months class room training (the best period in organisation as you do not have responsibilities). I will write a separate blog on how we enjoyed.

The FUSION (Confusion)

I belong to people who were confused to choose their departments. I had one lovely senior who said every work here is important (it did not click at that time that any organisation will do the work if it important) it is up to you to choose what you like.I found in R&D, one will be confined to very small part in an automobile but understands the design of the component. I was not really interested to design a small bracket in engine for one year. But still “R&D” a brand name I wanted. It would be sexy to say for a automobile engineering student. I told him that I wanted to have good exposure to all automobile systems and learn about the organisation its structure.

But few statements from HR changed my mind.

There is a requirement of 200+ engineers at R&D (our batch strength is 270). Also I confirmed that it is not that only charming technical people enter R&D.

I felt I do not want to be with the crowd.

I wished to take service department for only one reason that I can go back south. But I found that we will be transferred every 3 years, it made me rethink.

Also working in industry atmosphere, experience is unmatchable. That is the best part of the job. I can bet on my experience in future. This made me think that I should be in Gurgaon though I was not happy with its scorching sun temperatures.

(I love the winter though it is also severe. The best part is winters are dry. There will be no rain. The rain and cold combination makes me dull)

Finally I choose Quality Assurance department (you can find stamped signature of our Manager in the letter head that is given to every car buyer)

Two groups out of five were looking sexy. Both deal with new model evaluation. They play with the babies (proto cars). One takes care of static check and other the dynamic part.

(static check include appearance, checking for any body dents, color mismatch, emission checks and measurement checks and dynamic check where they drive the vehicle as worst customer and points out the issues in proto cars)

I underwent training in one group who does the static check. I found the department very organised and it is very small department and work is also very small. They work for 2 hours and make reports for next 2 hours and they show output as double. (I mean they make reports of how work was done to highlight it to management). I liked it as I was there for one month and it became my obvious choice.

But I did not get that group “fortunately”. I was put in Dynamic group and it gave me a power start.

(I divided my blogs into parts as I felt a long blog is not very interesting to read)

Gurgaon - My Experience

Since I am from South India everything in Gurgaon (Haryana, India) is a learning by experience. People, food, culture even the climatic condition, almost everything.

But still it is India!

Long queues which are now slowly disappearing because of advent of Information Technology. Crowds even at places where we expect privacy and people who are necessarily interested in gossips and rumours then minding their own work. Rules are always ruled out here. (Well not only traffic rules, every rule).

Ha ha :) but we Indians always adjust.

Cars and roads are the most beautiful things in Delhi apart from girls. BOT and BOOT reforms from the government really improved the roads in India. (I should say Delhi and NCR to a great extent). I really enjoy the ride in car and enjoy the speed. (Every time it will be my boss who drives all official trips as I do not have a license thou to drive though I am professionally trained driver). You will find too many cars (cars like Porsche, Bentley, Ferrari are also common) in Delhi roads. I have seen a Hummer parked next door. I wonder where the money comes from! But public transport (Buses) is pathetic I can say it is very bad in Haryana. People sometimes take pride in breaking them for even simple reasons. So may be government thought that it is better not to have than to lose them. So everybody is forced to have a personal vehicle for transportation. And thanks to Metro trains. They solve a very huge traffic.

I am living in the best part of Gurgaon, really in a sweet home, perfect place to rest after work. We have a cook from West Bengal and she is really an expert in Sambar. Believe me we every day ask her to make sambar and rice for dinner (and no other dish). We also have a house keeper, without whom our house would have looked like a hostel. Still our house owner sometimes shouts on the neatness and sometimes says guys I wonder how you are going to manage your life in future.

The market place is the real happening place. The malls are huge and the best part is they have the crowd who can spend huge sum of money. There are about 8 malls in the distance of just 3 km in Gurgaon (that would be the total number of malls in south India). People really earn a lot and spend a lot. (but in south I think most of the money is still in lockers. Still economic liberalisation made in 1993 has not hit the doors in south)

I should tell about the people and their work culture. I like the dressing sense and outlook. Mannerism is very different. Respect is given only if and when required. Even kids love inviting trouble. Some take pride in it as well. Work culture, similar to developed countries, avoiding work after working hours. Work is given to people who work and many times the credit as well. (sometimes shared to everyone in team)

And the best things that I loved here (and I never dared in south) is dancing in streets during marriages. Marriages here are vibrant. I really liked their wedding style. The best part is the dancing. The bridegroom is made to sit on a horse and friends and relatives dance on their way to wedding hall. I have attended about 4 wedding, all are guys who are bright engineers just 24 years old.(I mean wedding is very early, 27 years for males is considered late in many families). I have every time danced on streets and I loved it. I even remember in one such wedding(in fact a rich wedding), a relative of the bridegrooms was distributing alcoholic drinks to everyone and when I refused, he gave a staring look as if I have committed a sin. (well I mean to say drinking is very common, unlike south it is not “assumed” that the person who drinks is a bad guy or would one day die of cancer only)

I must tell about women also. They are really brave and on par with guys (and as idiotic as we are as well). They are more sociable compared to the south. I was really happy when a girl invited me for coffee. I think that is the first time a woman has invited me in this 22 years of my living. As time passed these things became very common and one never takes pride or stress saying, “a girl invited me for coffee / lunch /dinner”. Nor do they. I never know women can be so cool and could make jokes as well. (As far as I knew women and jokes are really far apart).

I think this is the best time I am having in my life. I really feel free. (I feel like as if I got independence after coming here to Gurgaon). I am soo sick of bloody South Indian rules and their mindset. (I still remember my mom force me go for temple in Friday evening but I always loved playing cricket in ground). But, I also learnt to praise south for the clean government, their values and ethics and the way it bought me up.

"Bees that gives honey gives stings too". There are positives and negatives. I liked learning both at gurgaon.

Birthday Bash