GM: An Experience of a Lifetime

GM India- One of my most learning experiences

This blog is dedicated to all my mentors at General Motors India Pvt. Ltd.

It was the spring of 2009 when I joined GM as an intern for a period of one month. The internship was a part of our curriculum at MSU BBA.  I was one of the fortunate few who had a chance to do their internship in one of most respected MNC’s in the field of Automobiles.

 The dates were fixed, formalities taken care of and I was ready for a month of solid learning and prolific experience. I joined GM on 18^th of May 2009. I was excited and ready to take the plunge into the big bad corporate world. Nevertheless, slowly but surely, my excitement began to turn into nervousness as I entered through the main gates of the GM plant. The atrium was beautiful and had various posters of cars and SUV’s manufactured under the GM consortium. Among them was a poster of a 1953 Chevrolet Corvette which was amongst the first proper American Muscle Cars of its time. The image of the Corvette is still etched in my mind.

 Thereafter, I went and met Mr. Ranjan Kumar, who was the Asst. Manager HR and was looking after the interns in the organization. He was my friend, philosopher and guide for the entire duration of my internship. On my first day, I was introduced to fellow interns and the rest of the HR Department. The first few days gave me the same feeling as a 6 year old child might have when he leaves the comfortable precincts of his\her parents and goes to school. Over the days, I began to develop a rapport of sorts with my colleagues and the rest of the staff. The first week was very boring as I was instructed to look after the performance appraisal sheets and upload them on the SAP system along with their analysis and updation.

The fun started in week two because that’s when I was given a Guided Tour of the manufacturing facilities of GM India. It’s extremely difficult to believe your eyes when you see a Chevrolet Tavera getting manufactured from scratch to completion in less than two and half minutes on the assembly line. Amazing, isn’t it?? Another memorable moment when I saw the engine of Chevrolet Cruze being dismantled and checked for tribulations in the gearbox and the Drive train. It was simply beautiful. The sights and sounds in the manufacturing plant were nothing less than a feast for the senses.

Although I am not at a liberty to go further into the details and technicalities of the manufacturing process, I would have loved to show a complete diagrammatic representation of the entire process, so that all of you would have realized the sheer beauty of the whole experience.

Vision and Mission of GM India:

Vision:

GM's vision is to be the world leader in transportation products and related services.  GM earns customers' enthusiasm through continuous improvement driven by the integrity, teamwork and innovation of GM people.

 Mission:

To profitably sell 200000 vehicles in 2010, achieve top 3 ranking in JD power and be amongst the 50 most admired companies in India.

All in all, My Days with GM have proved to be one of the most enriching experiences of my life and remain to be so………….