Yamaha Motor Newsletter 1

Sept. 24, 2021 (Issue No. 91)

Yamaha Motor Newsletter

ART for Human Possibilities

Opening the Door to the Factory Floor

Providing India’s Youths with an Education and

Accredited Training through Yamaha Monozukuri

India boasts the largest market for motorcycles in the world and is widely known as the second

most populous nation. However, over 40% of the country’s 1.3 billion citizens are younger than

25 and youths often face a difficult journey to adulthood, with unemployment for those aged

15 to 24 sitting above 20% (figures from the The World Factbook).

As part of the Skill India program initiated by the government in 2015, Yamaha Motor was the

first company to open the Yamaha Motor NTTF Training Center in 2017 as a designated Japan–

India Institute for Manufacturing, with a four-year comprehensive curriculum to train and

educate young Indians in Japanese-style manufacturing ideals and methods.

In this issue, we introduce the background to the program and how it has changed the lives of

its first-ever batch of graduates.

Yamaha Motor Newsletter 2

Offering New Opportunities to the Youth of India

In India, Yamaha Motor has long engaged in community outreach through exclusive

programs to take in those from challenging economic backgrounds and offer them

training and education to secure a future for them and their families. Yamaha Training

Schools throughout India are one example, training the financially unfortunate to

become Yamaha-certified motorcycle mechanics and giving them employment in

Yamaha dealerships.

However, the Skill India campaign launched in 2015 by the prime minister became the

impetus to bring in and train people with zero engineering or technical background

from very rural areas in Japanese-style factory operations. Yamaha Motor partnered

with the Nettur Technical Training Foundation (NTTF) in putting together its program

and opened the Yamaha Motor NTTF Training Center in 2017. NTTF is responsible for

the classroom-based technical training while Yamaha handles the on-the-job training

side at its Chennai plant in India’s southeastern state of Tamil Nadu. The education is

thorough, comprehensive, and largely based on Yamaha Motor’s Monozukuri principles.

Some 80% of the students’ time per week is dedicated to hands-on training at Yamaha

while the remaining 20% is in a classroom setting by NTTF, which not only provides

math, physics, and chemistry lessons but also helps them adjust to a new lifestyle.

“This classroom curriculum is as good as a vocational college curriculum,” explains

Ajay Mahajan, Vice President of the Chennai Factory. “Once they graduate, their

certification is on-par with an institute-issued diploma qualification, and this is

recognized nationally by the government.” Yamaha’s program was incredibly well-

received, with nearly 200 people applying for the program’s first class of students.

Mahajan also notes that every woman who applied was accepted after due

consideration, not to meet a quota, but to raise the level representation of women in

the manufacturing industry. But he also points out that narrowing down some 200

people to a small batch of 40 also presented the toughest challenge for the team.

Trainees gain real experience around the factory under the supervision of experienced technicians.

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Changing Lives with Yamaha Motor Monozukuri

“Everyone that applies comes with needs attached and it’s very difficult when they do

not see their name on the admitted list, because they came with a lot of hope. They see

Yamaha as a company serving the needs of society and this as a great opportunity for

their future,” Mahajan admits.

For those that were selected, lessons at the factory begin with the basics, such as

safety, quality, production systems, schematics, and the like. With each six-month

semester, the students rotate around the factory, gaining exposure to all Yamaha’s

manufacturing operations—from welding, painting, and casting to machining, quality

checks, and final inspection—to keep things fresh and stimulating. This keeps them

involved and their desire to learn strong. The aforementioned 80-20 ratio was decided

on to give students a better understanding how manufacturing improvements are

made and more hands-on experience, something Mahajan says they find much more

enjoyable than the classroom!

“New students are just like clay. In order to make sure that clay is moldable, we have

to work that clay to the right softness, through personality development, discipline,

teaching them English so that they can be employed anywhere in the country or

continue on to higher education if they want. As experts in the industry, we have the

know-how to mold that clay and because they have no industry background, they are

all clean slates. So whatever we teach them, they will learn and what becomes

important is how enjoyable we make that process.”

It was not all smooth sailing; of the original entrants, 27 successfully made it through

to graduation. Some were unable to continue due to personal health or family

circumstances, but others had discipline problems that could not be ignored. The

second batch of graduates was even smaller as many opted out with the COVID-19

pandemic. But Mahajan sees these as areas for possible improvement: “This is a first try

The students receive extensive instruction in a range of Japanese manufacturing concepts and Yamaha methodologies with hands-on training on the factory floor.

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for us as well and we’re learning every year. We are analyzing the backgrounds and

demographics of the students that tend to stick with us for the full four years and we

will perhaps focus our future applicant selection on those demonstrating these traits.”

The four-year curriculum is rigorous and learning Japanese business practices like 5S

(seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu, shitsuke), Ho-Ren-So, and kaizen in addition to engineering

sciences and industrial standards requires dedication and motivation. This is part of why

the “Learn and Earn” scheme was put into place by Yamaha. The stipend provided is not

just a motivator; it gives them pride in their work, their personal development, and

helps them support their families. It also represents the small but undeniable

contribution they have made to Yamaha over the time they spend on the factory floor.

“When we talk to them after four years and see what they were like at first, their

personalities have completely changed,” explains Mahajan. “The way they behave, the

way they talk, their respect for others have all changed and their commitment to

forging a life for themselves has changed. In the beginning they were raw clay, but we

have now shaped them into a vessel. They still need 3–4-year ‘curing’ process, though,

after which they will be very capable leaders on the floor.”

True to his word, there is a roadmap in place to take this very first class of graduates

into the fold at Yamaha in India as dedicated trainees and begin their “curing process”

by taking their technical and managerial education further, and gradually transforming

that once-raw clay into complete and polished pieces.

PR Group, Corporate Communication Division, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., Marunouchi MY PLAZA 15F, 2-1-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 〒100-0005 Japan

TEL: + 81-3-5220-7211 FAX: + 81-3-5220-7233 E-mail: YMC_pr@yamaha-motor.co.jp

*Prior to any use of the article(s) and photographs contained within this newsletter, please contact me.

Comments from the Yamaha Motor NTTF Training Center’s Class of 2021

▪ This training improved my discipline, punctuality, and my knowledge and skills with industrial rules and regulation.

▪ I learned about the Japanese Yamaha culture, which is about living your life with discipline and respect.

▪ The training helped me improve my attitude and I learned to approach work in a more strategic and planned manner.

▪ The Learn and Earn course really helped my family to improve financially.

▪ This was my first experience in the industry. Before joining, I didn’t know how the manufacturing industry functions, but

today I have a very deep understanding of it.

▪ Before joining, I had no idea about operating machines, but now I have gained the knowledge and the right set of skills to

operate them safely.

▪ The subjects are related to the factory floor so it’s easy to learn about the Japanese work culture and Yamaha standards.

▪ After graduation, I want to continue improving my knowledge and skills. I hope to work with a company like Yamaha.

Message from the Editor

Ajay mentioned that the program’s first batch of graduates will be receiving offers to work at Yamaha, and he hopes that since the company has trained them in its ways and given them a solid foundation in Yamaha’s Monozukuri, they will go on to become future factory leaders. Hearing that made me so proud of the progress they have made, and I hope the program and the amazing work Ajay and the rest of the team in India do leads to even greater success.

Maiko Kawai