All-Women Workforce Rolls Out Ape Electrik Range At Piaggio's Baramati Plant

Piaggio Vehicles Private Limited (PVPL) has announced introducing an all-women workforce to assemble the Apé Electrik range of electric three-wheelers at its Baramati plant. The company says that the female employees have been inducted from various technical institutes located in and around Baramati. The women were also trained on the safety procedures, usage of tools, electric vehicles and the latest technology related to BMS, motor, E-box before being introduced to the assembly line. Piaggio says it has redesigned the workplace to make it more ergonomically suited for women employees.

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Commenting on the development, Diego Graffi, Chairman and Managing Director, Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd said, "In line with our group philosophy, we have created the EV assembly line that is fully operated by a female workforce. I want to remark that this is only the starting point, & we have a long way to go. We will have inclusion of more women at the assembly line, plant premises, and offices. This is not just to empower women but also to bring workforce equality in the auto sector which was long due."

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The women working on the Apé Electrik assembly line will be responsible for quality control checks, fitting, assembly, electrical, and overall material management

Pooja Bansal, Head HR at Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd added that "We intended not only to have women employees and train them only for manufacturing and the shop floor but hire and train women employees across the business value chain."

The female workforce at Piaggio's Baramati plant assembles all its electric models - Apé E-City and Apé E-Xtra, which comes in both fixed and Swappable battery models. The women working on the Apé Electrik assembly line will be responsible for quality control checks, fitting, assembly, electrical, and overall material management. Piaggio claims that this initiative has not just created employment for women in Baramati but has also helped fight the stereotype of women working in manufacturing plants. The company says that understanding the technology and acquiring the right skillsets are the criteria to bring employees on board and not their gender.