With nearly four decades of rich HR experience, Sushil Baveja brings valuable insights from his journey across multinational corporations and Indian conglomerates. Currently serving as chief human resources officer at Jindal Stainless, Baveja previously held significant positions at DCM Shriram, Cadbury, and Gillette. Known for his expertise in talent development and union management, he shares his perspectives on the evolving manufacturing landscape in this exclusive interview with Dr Prajjal Saha, founder and editor, HRKatha.
Q: For years, the IT and knowledge sectors attracted top talent with lucrative compensation and benefits. However, recently there’s been some instability due to layoffs and emerging technologies like AI. Do you see manufacturing being perceived more as a stable and attractive career option now? Has the mindset changed?
A: I think there’s been a progressive realisation that manufacturing is steady, stable and fairly predictable compared to the tech sector. Tech has always been like the sunrise industry, but it has gone through its own ups and downs over the last few decades, causing uncertainty for professionals seeking long-term stable careers.
Manufacturing is definitely gaining prominence at campuses and even for lateral hires. More people seem to be gravitating towards manufacturing careers. Let’s also understand that manufacturing used to be seen as very traditional in nature. When we started our careers, it was viewed as very legacy-led. But over the last few decades, there’s been a sea change in manufacturing practices, processes, and systems.
Today, manufacturing can offer employees the knowledge and experience people typically aspire for in the tech sector. The same work ecosystem you can now find in the manufacturing sector. What do we actually want from our careers? We want opportunities to make meaningful contributions, acquire new skills and capabilities, and work where there’s significant investment in employee development.
Manufacturing has become modernised and more appealing. You walk into a manufacturing office or shop floor of an organisation like ours, and you wouldn’t know the difference between a tech office and a manufacturing office. Shop floors are very well organised—neat, tidy, well-managed with a friendly ecosystem and all the tools needed to perform effectively. Everyone is smartly groomed and equipped with the required knowledge.
Many organisations today approach manufacturing with an outside-in perspective, working with various partners who aren’t just local players but global ones. These partners bring fresh perspectives to the entire look and feel of the shop floor, as well as the tools, processes, and technologies we apply.
Q: What specific segments are now considering manufacturing careers that previously may have gravitated towards IT?
A: Initially, when there was a shortage of IT professionals, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, and civil engineers were all moving to the IT sector. Now that has stopped. We’re seeing a reverse trend—computer science graduates and electronics engineers have started coming back to manufacturing because of the experiences and technologies the manufacturing sector now offers.
People are becoming more sector-agnostic. They feel that if they’re getting opportunities to learn, contribute, and experience the best technologies—whether it’s AI, machine learning, or internet technologies—it doesn’t matter if they’re in manufacturing rather than tech. So they’re very open, and we’re able to attract good talent in that segment.
“Manufacturing now offers the knowledge, experience, and opportunities often associated with tech—meaningful contributions, skill development, and significant investment in employees.”
Q: Jindal Stainless has been investing in smart manufacturing. How is this changing your workforce composition? What new roles have emerged in the last few years that weren’t there five years ago?
A: Like any progressive manufacturing company, we’re investing in smart manufacturing and bringing in the latest technologies and tools. We’ve moved to S4 HANA for our ERP, and new technologies are coming in across all business processes.
We’re not completely eliminating existing roles, but we are investing in reskilling people. We’re trying to ensure they get upskilled and see opportunities to learn new trades and skills. Our endeavour is to help people benefit from technology and build on their knowledge base and competencies.
The work has become smarter, and people see benefits in adopting technology. When we introduce new technology, we don’t simply mandate it—we do change management and create a compelling value proposition so that acceptance is more natural and organic.
In terms of workforce profiles changing, I see that aspirations have definitely evolved. People’s urge to acquire new knowledge and skills has increased because they recognise the benefits of technology in their careers. They’re becoming more curious, keen, and eager to work with new technologies.
Even the older generation, which used to struggle more with change, has become more open. When they go home, they interact with younger generations and get exposure to new technologies. That urge to learn often starts at home, so when they come to the workplace, they’re much more open and welcoming of change compared to earlier times.
Q: Do you see new roles emerging in the manufacturing sector because of automation or the introduction of AI?
A: Definitely, new roles have emerged. For example, the IT function used to be primarily about hardware maintenance. It has evolved from hardware to software to AI. There’s now a new set of workforce to manage all of this.
In our organisation, we now have a senior person who’s a Chief Digital Information Officer. Under him, we have someone focused completely on driving AI adoption, which was never there earlier. They have their own teams at various locations and sites.
The composition of the IT team itself has changed quite a bit. At the manufacturing shop floor, there are new technologies like PPDS being adopted by teams. AI is now being implemented across functions. Even in HR, we’re using AI for policy chatbots and pulse checks. Similarly, on the shop floor, we’re driving greater adoption of artificial intelligence.
We’re upgrading the skills of the existing workforce but also bringing in specialists with niche expertise to build awareness, train people, and develop roadmaps for technology adoption.
“Dark factories are still years away, with SMEs facing greater challenges in adopting technology compared to larger, well-funded organisations. Yet, they remain integral to the supply chain.”
Q: There’s talk about “dark factories” which are completely automated. At what stage is India in this journey?
A: I think it’s still a few years away. We’re still on that journey with a lot more action needed. The acceptance of technology, its value, and impact is gradually being experienced by more organisations.
The struggle is more pronounced with small and medium enterprises, which form a big chunk of the manufacturing segment. Progressive organisations with large infrastructure and budgets can make this shift faster, but the SME segment is still on a journey. These are organisations that often don’t even have regular HR functions and rely on advisors and consultants. Yet they’re an integral part of the supply chain.
Q: What implications will dark factories have on employment, skill development, and the manufacturing workforce?
A: We need to prepare ourselves for it and remain vigilant. Our academic curriculum is somewhat behind in understanding and appreciating what the industry actually wants. There’s still catching up to do. Industry wants something specific, while the academic curriculum of ITIs, engineering colleges, and polytechnics often teaches something different.
A lot depends on the collaboration between industry and academia, which will help create the necessary knowledge and skill base. When dark factories do come in, they will certainly disrupt the employment market. However, companies also have a social responsibility towards their workforce.
I don’t think dark factories will become so established and institutionalised that they’ll significantly affect the employment market anytime soon. In India, we still consider human factors and emotional elements in employment decisions.
Today’s younger generation is becoming more independent and entrepreneurial. They talk about retiring at 30 or 35 rather than 55 or 60, with plans to do something of their own afterwards. They’re able to spot niche opportunities. For Indian manufacturing, I think we’re still at least 10 years away from dark factories making a major impact.
“Our academic curriculum of ITIs, engineering colleges, and polytechnics lags behind industry needs, creating a gap between what is taught and what is required in the workplace.”
Q: For someone starting their career, if they had to choose between a multinational corporation and a homegrown Indian company, what are the distinctive career advantages in both, and what are the challenges?
A: I’ve been fortunate to work in both Indian family businesses and the best multinationals. I’ve worked at Samtel and DCM Shriram (Indian family businesses), and multinationals like Cadbury, Gillette, and Alcatel.
The real learning, in my experience, happens in an Indian family business—that’s where I stayed the longest. Multinationals bring a certain element of glamour and brand value. At one time, it was a social status to work for a multinational, but those days are gone.
Today, people look for good careers in organisations where they can learn, contribute meaningfully, and be respected. They want access to good technologies and work culture. I would say today’s Indian family businesses are much more contemporary in how they operate compared to many multinationals.
You’ll find any technology that exists in multinationals in Indian family businesses as well. The promoters of Indian family businesses have become much more outward-looking and contemporary in their thinking. In our organisation, the promoters encourage employees to participate in international conferences and seminars to seek out best practices. We work with the best consulting firms like BCG and McKinsey.
The most important difference is in how business is conducted and decisions are made. Decision-making is quicker in Indian family businesses. In multinationals, it’s often a long-drawn process requiring multiple approvals. In Indian family businesses, if you have a convincing case, it gets accepted quickly. You can make decisions worth thousands of crores in a matter of hours.
Q: So would you advise starting a career with a multinational and then moving to an Indian company?
A: Not necessarily. What you should look for is which organisation offers the best value in terms of learning and career growth. Today, people don’t look at labels—whether it’s an MNC or an Indian family business. Each brings its own unique value proposition.
Not every MNC is great, and not every family business is great. You have to evaluate the specific organisation you’re joining and what value proposition it offers for building a meaningful career.
“The real learning, in my experience, happens in an Indian family business—that’s where I stayed the longest. Multinationals bring a certain element of glamour and brand value. At one time, it was a social status to work for a multinational, but those days are gone.”
Q: What challenges might one face working for an Indian company?
A: It’s not so much about challenges as it is about your ability to adapt to a new cultural ecosystem. You need to deal with ambiguities, be agile, and respond quickly. In Indian family businesses, things move at a certain pace and speed, with execution being very important.
You should be ready to take ownership and accountability. These are the qualities needed to succeed in an Indian family business.
Q: Jindal Stainless has invested in technical centres and implemented cross-functional development programmes like “Parivartan.” How do you balance specialised technical depth with versatile leadership capability in your talent development approach?
A: Parivartan is a development journey for high performers and high potentials in our organisation. When identifying these individuals, we’re completely agnostic about whether they come from a functional or technical domain. We follow a process with assessment centres, and those demonstrating potential to take on more responsibilities are selected.
The programme lasts six to nine months and includes learning interventions, mentoring, improvement projects focused on making the organisation future-ready, leadership cafes, and learning sessions with outside experts. Participants undergo assessment and receive feedback, leading to an Individual Development Plan (IDP).
This approach is about building careers for employees and creating a talent pipeline for the organisation across all segments—technical, functional, and otherwise.
“The approach to training management trainees and graduate engineering trainees has evolved. Previously, the 12-month training was more classroom-focused. Today, it’s driven by projects and assignments, and we’ve seen these youngsters respond much more quickly to roles and responsibilities.”
Q: How is Jindal Stainless reimagining its industrial relations approach while implementing digital transformation?
A: Digital transformation is something people have accepted as a way of life, whether they’re blue-collar or white-collar employees. Fortunately, we don’t have unions here because we take a proactive approach to caring for our employees. We stay connected with our people and respond quickly to their needs.
We focus on building harmonious industrial relations by keeping communication channels open, addressing grievances promptly, and investing in upgrading skills and knowledge for all employees. Technology is just a means to upgrade and upskill these people.
Digital has most affected industrial relations from a compliance management standpoint. Most compliance activities are now digitally managed, reducing human errors and making life easier. The government is also more accepting of digital compliance processes.
Q: How has the relationship with unions changed with digitalisation in other manufacturing sectors?
A: Unions are always concerned about job security—whether increasing digitalisation and technology will eliminate positions. Progressive employers work towards redeploying affected employees into other roles where they can meaningfully contribute, and they invest in reskilling and upskilling.
As long as you can secure jobs and upskill employees in evolving technologies, industrial relations remain manageable. Unions have also become more accepting and progressive. While the workforce may be reduced in some areas, growing organisations that are expanding can redeploy these people into new projects.
Progressive employers also help employees get outplaced when necessary or offer golden handshakes. Today’s employers are more humane and try to ensure no one is left without support. The exploitation tendencies of the past have largely disappeared, at least in large organisations.
Q: What innovative industry-academia models have proven most effective, and how do you quantify their impact on your talent pipeline quality?
A: The relationship between industry and academia shouldn’t be transactional but engaging. There should be regular interactions, with industry professionals delivering lectures and helping develop curriculum.
We’ve partnered with polytechnics, ITIs, and engineering colleges to even introduce stainless steel as a subject, as we face a shortage of expertise in this area. We’ve created a stainless academy that collaborates with these institutions.
I’m also with the FICCI skill committee, where we encourage organisations to mentor certain ITIs and polytechnics. We advocate for more frequent student internships and life projects beyond the mandatory curriculum requirements. We also believe that faculty should undergo internships in corporate settings to experience firsthand what’s changing and what’s expected.
Institutions should invest in upgrading their faculty members, making it mandatory for them to conduct research and attend programmes and conferences to stay current with industry trends. The entire ecosystem needs to change to make the impact more meaningful.
Q: How do you make graduates job-ready when courses are still very academically focused?
A: The approach to training management trainees and graduate engineering trainees has evolved. Previously, the 12-month training was more classroom-focused. Today, it’s driven by projects and assignments, and we’ve seen these youngsters respond much more quickly to roles and responsibilities.
This change has occurred because institutions are encouraging students to be in regular contact with industry. While the first year might be pure academics, colleges are now encouraging second-year students to take on light projects, get mentored by industry experts, and attend conferences. As a result, they become more appreciative of what industry wants and are productive much sooner than before.
Q: Will we move to skill-based hiring now?
A: Progressively, hiring will become more skill-based rather than qualification-based. Ultimately, it’s about knowledge. While organisations still consider educational institutions at the entry level, what matters most is the value and work someone has contributed, and the skills, knowledge, and competencies they’ve acquired through experience.
It’s a progressive shift, but I think we’ll see more of it happening. Qualifications will become less important compared to an individual’s skills and knowledge.
Q: What’s your view on training programmes becoming more entertainment-focused rather than focused on genuine skill development?
A: At Jindal Stainless, we ensure proper need identification before conducting any programme. We clearly understand why a programme is being done, what value we expect from it, and how we’ll measure its effectiveness.
For example, with role transition programmes (like moving from individual contributor to manager), we take a structured approach with learning interventions, mentoring, and project assignments to apply what’s been learned. We get feedback from managers on the changes they observe in participants.
Our managing director is particularly focused on ROI and impact. It’s not enough to say a programme went well or received good feedback scores—we want to know if managers have seen actual changes and what participants are applying in the workplace.
Post-training effectiveness measurement is done rigorously. We assess skills before and after the programme, have managers evaluate the differences they’re seeing, and assign projects based on the knowledge gained to see real-time application.
Q: Manufacturing has traditionally had gender imbalances. What structural interventions has Jindal Stainless implemented to narrow this gap?
A: We’re building greater awareness and value gender diversity. We’re working to be more gender-inclusive while ensuring there’s no compromise on merit. The challenge is that certain roles, like those on the shop floor, attract fewer female applicants compared to roles in HR, finance, or corporate communications.
Society is still not encouraging enough to have women work in factory locations, whether due to value systems or safety concerns. But this is changing—if you visit factories today, you’ll see graduate engineers who are women and have progressed to significant responsibilities.
We’re working to become more inclusive in terms of gender acceptance. Women are an integral part of society and should have equal opportunities to participate in employment. Every individual brings their unique perspective and contributes in their own way, regardless of gender.
Q: Will digitalisation and automation help bring more women into manufacturing?
A: Definitely. As more automated jobs are created, we’ll likely see more women entering these roles, as they’re not physically demanding. There’s also better supply, with more women pursuing relevant qualifications. Families tend to be more supportive of these kinds of jobs, seeing them as safer and more secure.
Q: How is wearable technology and AI-enabled monitoring transforming safety management at Jindal Stainless?
A: In manufacturing, safety is the lifeline. We invest in building safety systems and processes, with regular audits conducted in partnership with the British Safety Council. We recently received their Sword of Honour award, which recognises our adherence to global standards.
Safety is a primary focus for us, from the moment you enter the gate. Even visitors go through a safety audit and exam. It’s a rigorous process that we follow for our employees, contractual workers, and everyone else to ensure a safe workplace.
Q: As manufacturing becomes more technology-driven, how do you envision the nature of work evolving in this sector over the next decade?
A: The employee experience will change significantly. People will enjoy their work more than before and have more opportunities for learning, development, and studying best practices. They’ll likely find more time for personal wellness as well.
Technology is making a difference in every part of life, so the overall experience will become more holistic, extending beyond the workplace itself.