Women employees at work at the Havell’s plant in Sri City industrial corridor in Tirupati district.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Factory floors have always been reckoned to be a male-dominated space, but not any more.
Bringing in gender parity in the most unexpected of places, Sri City industrial zone in Tirupati has rewritten the narrative by providing a cherished place for the fairer sex.
As women now represent 52% of its 65,000-strong workforce employed by the 235 companies representing 30 countries, the region has come to be aptly referred to as ‘Sthree City’ (women’s city).
The gender-inclusive industrial growth became possible with the companies preferring women in positions like engineers, technicians and professionals in the domains of production, quality control and testing, in tune with Sri City’s avowed policy on gender parity.
By creating a women-friendly ecosystem, Sri City has clearly demonstrated that empowering women not only drives industrial growth, but also paves the way for a sustainable future.
Gender sensitivity is displayed in the form of providing dedicated transport, childcare, healthcare and a robust security system with CCTV surveillance and female security personnel, all aimed at ensuring a conducive work environment for women.
Skill gap
As these measures are not enough to help women make forays into male-dominated space, special efforts were taken by the Sri City management to ‘bridge the skill gap’ and equip women with the technical expertise for roles that were once men’s forte.
Tying up with industries and Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC), Sri City launched industry-relevant training for women. Picking up the thread, companies like Alstom, Thermax and Isuzu initiated measures to upskill women for technical roles.
For example, Alstom provides hands-on training to women diploma engineers, who now assemble the metro train sets meant for global markets. Similarly, Thermax conducts ‘Pragati’ programme by training women in welding, breaking yet another stereotype. Isuzu Motors India fixed the threshold limit of filling 22% of its technical workforce with women diploma engineers.
If we take a look at the percentage of women in the total workforce of companies, Daikin AC (40%), Blue Star (50%), Havells (60%), MSR Garments (80%), Gen Linen (90%) and Everton Tea (97%) are among the impressive lot.
“A balanced workplace thrives on women’s empathy, discipline and customer focus, with the company investing in training and leadership development,” observes Girish Chander, vice-president of Havells, Sri City.
Echoing a similar view, Prashant Joshi, vice-president (manufacturing) at Daikin India announced the goal of taking the number of women employees to 50% of total workforce.
Sri City founder and Managing Director Ravindra Sannareddy bets big on training to reduce gender disparity, hinting that growing participation of women could drive both industrial growth and societal change.
“More than just a manufacturing hub, Sri City is emerging as a model for inclusive, progressive and sustainable economic development, proving that diversity fuels both productivity and transformation,” he avers.
Published – March 07, 2025 07:00 pm IST
