2017

SKILL GAP ANALYSIS

MADHYA PRADESH
Chapter Scheme

1. Introduction
2. State in Focus
3. Survey Insight
4. Skill Gap Analysis
5. Segments at a Glance
6. Human Resource Requirement
INTRODUCTION estimated that the average age of the
population in India by 2020 will be 29 years
Let’s begin the challenging issue of skill gap as against 40 years in USA, 46 years in
prevalent in the industry by first Europe and 47 years in Japan. In fact, during
understanding the concept of skill, its the next 20 years the labour force in the
importance for an individual and the industrialized world is expected to decline
society, the relevance of skill development by 4%, while in India it will increase by 32%.
and the meaning of skill gap in the current This poses a formidable challenge and a
scenario. An ability and capacity acquired huge opportunity. India needs to equip its
through deliberate, systematic and workforce with employable skills and
sustained effort to smoothly and adaptively knowledge so that they can contribute
carry out activities or job functions involving substantively to the economic growth of
ideas, things and people is how we may the country. It is extremely important to
define Skill in the industrial set up. Skill has work towards creating a skilled workforce
the power to break the vicious circle of to reap the demographic dividend.
poverty as it empowers an individual to However, skills need to be an integral part
become economically independent. Skill of employment and economic growth
converts a human into a human resource. strategies to spur employability and
Presently, our country faces a dual productivity.
challenge of paucity of highly trained
Fig 1.1: Workforce Pyramid
workforce, as well as non-employability of
large sections of the conventionally
educated youth, who possess little or no job
Employable
skills. Therefore, if we have to promote the
development of our country then we should
focus on skill development. Educated &
Skilled
A1. Indian Economy: Status and
Requirement
Educated
Why acquiring skill or skill development is
so important for our economy? Today, India Working Population
is one of the youngest nations in the world
with more than 62% of its population in the
working age group (15-59 years), and more
The country, however, has a big challenge
than 54% of its total population below 25
ahead as it is estimated that only 4.69% of
years of age. Its population pyramid is
the total workforce in India has undergone
expected to “bulge” across the 15-59 age
formal skill training as compared to 68% in
group over the next decade. It is further
UK, 75% in Germany, 52% in USA, 80% in B1. Skill India
Japan and 96% in South Korea. While the
The main goal is to create opportunities,
debate on the exact quantum of the
space and scope for the development of the
challenge continues, there is no disputing
talents of the Indian youth and to develop
the fact that it is indeed a challenge of
more of those sectors which have already
formidable proportion.
been put under skill development for the
In addition, the number of people who last so many years and also to identify new
enter the work force age group every year sectors for skill development. The new
is estimated to be 26.14 million. Assuming programme aims at providing training and
an average labour participation rate of 90% skill development to 500 million youth of
(male) and 30% (female), at least 16.16 our country by 2020, covering each and
million persons will enter workforce and every village. Various schemes are also
they all, except those opting for higher Fig 1.2: Skill India
education, need to acquire skills. This will
add another 104.62 million persons to be
skilled in the next 7 years. Thus, it can be
seen that 104.62 million fresh entrants to
the workforce over next seven years (by
2022) will need to be skilled. In addition,
298.25 million of existing farm and nonfarm
sector workforce will need to be skilled,
reskilled and upskilled. Thus, appropriate
measures required to be taken keeping in
view sheer numbers, sectoral division and
spatial disbursal not only across the country
proposed to achieve this objective. The
but possible requirement in other parts of
emphasis is to skill the youths in such a way
the world.
so that they get employment and also
Moreover, with the increasing participation improve entrepreneurship. The mission
of women in the workforce in India, Skill covers training, support and guidance for all
development programmes should focus on occupations that were of traditional type
both male and female before any imbalance like carpenters, cobblers, welders,
emerges on gender count. In recent times, blacksmiths, masons, nurses, tailors,
government’s emphasis on skill weavers etc.
development has received a big push in the
More emphasis will be given on new areas
country. A broad outline of the recent
like real estate, construction,
government initiatives is presented in the
transportation, textile, gem industry,
next section.
jewellery designing, banking, tourism and Assessment fees are completely paid by the
various other sectors, where skill Government.
development is inadequate or nil.
C1.Skill Gap and its Analysis
The training programmes would be on the
Different types of skills are required in the
lines of international level so that the
manufacturing units for various job roles.
youths of our country can not only meet the
However, before we move on to skill
domestic demands but also of other
development, it is extremely important to
countries like the US, Japan, China,
understand the existing skill gap in each of
Germany, Russia and those in the West
the sectors. Let’s take a note of what do we
Asia. Another remarkable feature of the
mean by skill gap. Here it is noteworthy that
‘Skill India’ programme would be to create a
we first need to define the skills required to
hallmark called ‘Rural India Skill’, so as to
perform a specific job role and then
standardise and certify the training process.
highlight the gap. The difference in the skills
Tailor-made, need-based programmes required on the job and the actual skills
would be initiated for specific age groups possessed by the employees is referred to
which can be like language and as Skill Gap.
communication skills, life and positive
thinking skills, personality development Fig 1.3: Skill Gap
skills, management skills, behavioural skills,
including job and employability skills. The
course methodology of ‘Skill India’ would be
innovative, which would include games,
group discussions, brainstorming sessions,
practical experiences, case studies etc.

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana

(PMKVY) is the flagship scheme of the
Ministry of Skill Development &
Entrepreneurship (MSDE). The objective of Skill Gap is prevalent across various job
this Skill Certification Scheme is to enable a roles in different segments of the industry.
large number of Indian youth to take up Efforts in the skill landscape have been
industry-relevant skill training that will help largely devoid of industry/employer
them in securing a better livelihood. linkages until the last few years. This has
Individuals with prior learning experience or created gaps in terms of sectoral need and
skills will also be assessed and certified availability, competency required by
under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). employer and those possessed by a trainee
Under this Scheme, Training and etc. Placement of trainees has consequently
suffered. At first, there is a need to define sector. Consequently, it is difficult to map
their skills requirements, and training existing skills in the unorganized sector and
methodology, commitments in terms of gauge the skilling requirement in the sector.
increased remuneration to skilled workers On the other hand, the rate of job growth in
also need to be made by them. This is informal sector is estimated to be twice
necessary to create economic incentive for that in formal sector.
skilling, and for industry to realize the
D1. Skill Development
productivity gains linked with skilled
manpower. Different states in India face varied
challenges in relation to demographics and
To address the skill gap, the availability of
skill development. There needs to be a
good quality trainers is a major area of
shared sense of urgency to address the
concern. There is a lack of focus on
challenges of the changing demography.
development of trainer training
Skills development is the shared
programmes and career progression
responsibility of the key stakeholders viz.
pathways for trainers have also not been
Government, the entire spectrum of
defined. To outline the skill requirement,
corporate sector, community based
the skill gap analysis is undertaken. In other
organizations, those outstanding, highly
words, Skill Gap Analysis for the various job
qualified and dedicated individuals who
roles in the industry helps achieve the
have been working in the skilling and
following objectives:
entrepreneurship space for many years,
 Helps to define the skills required in industry and trade organisations and other
the industry at present and in future Fig 1.4: Stakeholders
 Make employees aware about the
critical skill they will need to
develop/learn RSDC

 Helps in recruitment effort when

current employee do not possess
the required skills for the specific job
role Skill Educational
Industry
Development Institutes
Skill Gap Analysis has covered the organized
segment of the industry, whereas a large
number of manufacturing units are
operating in the unorganized segment. One
Others
of the biggest challenges of skill
development in our country is that 93% of
the workforce is in informal/unorganised
stakeholders. The challenge of human the available manpower, skill deficiencies
resource requirements of the country will leading to the skill gap, emerging trend for
be addressed by aligning the supply and industry expansion and skill requirement in
composition of skilled workers with the rubber sector. Before we take up the
demand. This will ensure that the supply of skill gap analysis in the rubber industry in
skilled workforce is relevant to projected the central state of India, let’s have a look
needs and can be easily absorbed into the at the trends in rubber industry in the state
job market. in focus, i.e. Madhya Pradesh covering main
indicators of state economy, rubber
In this report, the focus is on the skill
manufacturing units, rubber consumption
requirement of the rubber industry in Indian
etc.
context. We concentrate on the quality of
STATE IN FOCUS
The chapter focuses on the general agriculture. Industrial development is
economic conditions of the state, an mainly concentrated in select districts such
overview of rubber industry in India, status as Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior and Jabalpur.
of rubber industry in the state in focus and
Fig 2.1: Heart of the Country: Madhya Pradesh
its growth in the recent past. Normally, the
overall development of the various sectors
in the state reflects on to the growth of the
specific segment of economic activity. Here,
we will take a note of economic
development of the state and various
aspects of rubber industry in the state.
Madhya Pradesh is not a traditional rubber
growing region of the country; therefore it
does not offer much to study and analyze
the production side of the commodity
which serves as the basic raw material for
the rubber product manufacturing.
However, it is interesting to look at the
consumption pattern over the period to
highlight the developments in the rubber The state is bound on the north by Uttar
industry in the state in focus. Pradesh, the east by Chhattisgarh, the
A1.State Economy south by Maharashtra and the west by
Gujarat and Rajasthan. The state has a
Located in the central India, the state of population growth rate of about 20 percent
Madhya Pradesh with over 72 million which is above the national average of
inhabitants is the fifth largest state in the about 17 and thus the population of the
country by population. However, the state is rising considerably given the
population of Madhya Pradesh is not as progress in the state. The literacy rate in the
huge as compared to some of the other big state is about 70% which is very close to the
states in the country. This also reflects in national average but it is something the
the fact that the density of the state is state will have to work on to improve in the
about 230 which is much less than the future. One of the other aspects that the
national average. India’s second largest state will have to look at is the sex ratio that
state is primarily an agricultural economy. stands at 930 and below the national
Majority of the population resides in average.
villages, whose main occupation is
Fig 2.2: Share of Major Sectors of the Economy secondary and tertiary sector contribute 34
percent, 21 percent and 39 percent
respectively. Looking at the contribution of
secondary sector in the SGDP (at current
prices), it has been observed that the share
has witnessed a decline of 6 percent (from
27 percent to 21 percent) in the last
decade. The agriculture sector employed
62% of the state’s population, followed by
the services (33%) and manufacturing (5%)
sectors.

Table 2.1: State of Growth

Year GSDP* Growth
The performance of the economy measured (at constant prices) Rate (%)
in terms of state gross domestic product 2011-12 315561 ..
shows that the economic growth remained 2012-13 351461 11.38
2013-14 364197 3.62
very low during 1999-2008. However, the
2014-15 383994 5.44
state economy has witnessed an
2015-16 414607 7.97
improvement in the last few years. It is 2016-17 12.21
465212
among the fastest growing states in the Source: CSO
country. According to the latest estimates, *GSDP in Rs. crore at 2011-12 prices
the economy of Madhya Pradesh has
registered double digit growth (12.21
percent) in the year 2016-17. The primary,
automotive tyre sector and small capital
based non-tyre sector consisting of majorly
A2.Rubber Industry in India
in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
In India, there are approximately 6000 (MSME). Unlike tyre industry which
manufacturing units producing a wide range represents an organized segment of rubber
of rubber products operating across 24 manufacturing in our country, the
states and 4 union territories (according to production of non-tyre rubber products
the registered units with Rubber Board). takes place in the organized as well as
However, there are thousands of unorganized sector. The highest number of
unregistered firms engaged in production rubber product manufacturing units exists
different rubber products throughout the in Kerala, followed by Uttar Pradesh and
country. The rubber goods manufacturing Tamil Nadu. The map represents the
industry includes large capital owned presence of large (green colour), medium
(pink colour), low (yellow colour) and
negligible (white colour) number of rubber production. During 2015, the output in
product manufacturing units in India. main producing countries viz; Thailand,
Madhya Pradesh falls under the medium Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam increased,
category in this industrial segment. whereas production in China and India
decreased during 2015.
Fig 2.3: Rubber Industry Concentration in India
Table 2.2: Consumption of All Kinds of Rubber
According to the End Products 2014-15 (in
Tonnes)

Products Natural Synthetic Reclaim

Rubber Rubber Rubber
Auto Tyres 682350 382690 49640
and Tubes
Cycle Tyre 75465 29585 26750
and Tubes
Camel Back 44675 31785 4730
Footwear 62635 35190 9650
Belts and 42170 17730 10750
The total turnover of the Indian rubber
industry is estimated around thousand Hoses
crores. Among the various rubber product Latex Foam 28385 -- --
segments in the country, there are large Dipped 41215 -- --
number of firms involved in manufacturing
Goods
of moulded and extruded goods, tread
Others 44015 39150 27545
rubber products, footwear, dipped goods
and adhesives. In the production of a wide Total 1020910 536130 129065
range of rubber products, natural, synthetic Source: Monthly Rubber Statistical News, April
and reclaim rubber is used in the industry. 2016
Natural rubber consumption is at the top
Production of Natural Rubber (NR) in India
position followed by synthetic and reclaim
during the year 2015-16 fell 12.9 per cent to
rubber. Two third of the rubber
562,000 tonnes from 645,000 tonnes
consumption is attributed to the tyre
produced a year ago. Adverse weather, high
segment whereas the remaining one third is
wages, lack of skilled labourers, grower’s
consumed by the non-tyre segment.
reluctance in harvesting or maintaining
India is currently the sixth largest producer trees in response to the low NR prices have
of NR in 2015 with a share of 4.7% of world affected the production of natural rubber
(NR) in India during the year ended March are a large number of units manufacturing
2016. Even though the tappable area under rubber products in the unorganized sector
natural rubber was 559,000 ha during 2015- across the country.
16, only 391,000 ha has contributed to the
Indore is the major centre of rubber
NR production during the year. India ranks
product manufacturing in the state of
second with regard to NR consumption in
Madhya Pradesh. There are many other
2015 with a share of 8.2% of world
districts as well where different types of
consumption. India produced 199,845
rubber products are manufactured,
tonnes of Synthetic Rubber (SR) during
however the number of units is not very
2015-16, up 31.6 per cent on year. SR
large. Tyre, tube and flap as well as tread
consumption increased to 553,370 tonnes
rubber products are the leading segment
during 2015-16 registering a growth of 3.2%
where highest number of firms is engaged
as against 536,130 tonnes consumed during
in production in the organized segment in
2014-15. The relative share of consumption
the state with respect to the rubber
of NR and SR in India was 64:36 during
industry. Rubber products are
2015-16.
manufactured mainly in the following
A3.Rubber Industry: Madhya Pradesh districts in the state:

In the land locked state of the country, the a)Indore h) Chhindwara

total registered rubber manufacturing firms b) Bhopal i) Raisen
are very less (less than 100) as compared to c) Gwalior j) Katni
the leading state and to the total units in d) Ratlam k) Satna
the country. The number of registered e) Ujjain l) Sidhi
manufacturers has not shown any striking f) Betul m) Singrauli
increment or decline in the last five years. It g) Dhar
is important to note that our survey focuses
on the firms operating in the organized
A4.Rubber Consumption in Madhya
segment of the industry only whereas there
Pradesh
Table 2.3: Manufacturers Status
On an average, the annual total rubber
Year No. of licensed manufacturers
consumption in the state remained at
MP Kerala India
68,500 tonnes in the last five years. There
2011-12 61 760 4386
2012-13 58 724 4334 has not been any clear trend with respect to
the rubber consumption in the state,
2013-14 59 724 4350
neither towards an upside nor a downside.
2014-15 72 734 4307
The total consumption of 66,310 tonnes of
2015-16 66 744 4363
rubber in the year 2014-15 comprised of
Source: Rubber Board
32,750 tonnes of natural rubber; 29,710
tonnes of synthetic rubber and 3,850 states in the country. In the year 2014-15,
tonnes of reclaimed rubber. Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh stood at the ninth position
Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra in the list of rubber consuming state in
Pradesh are the top five rubber consuming India.

Fig 2.4: Rubber Product Manufacturing Units in MP

Madhya
Pradesh

*Rubber Manufacturing Districts highlighted in Blue

 Source: Rubber Board Source: Rubber Board

The total consumption of rubber in the year

2014-15 for the central state stood at 3.9 After presenting an overview of the rubber
percent of the total rubber consumption in industry in the state, now we move on to
India. For the state of Madhya Pradesh, the detailed analysis of employment in the
natural and synthetic rubber constituted 3.2 industry. In order to understand the various
percent and 5.5 percent of the total factors affecting the employment in the
national consumption in the respective rubber industry and skill requirement in the
segment while share of reclaimed rubber state, a survey of 24 units has been
consumption for the state constituted 3 conducted. The next chapter presents the
percent of the total reclaimed rubber details, analysis and findings of the skill gap
consumption for India. study in the state.
SURVEY INSIGHTS
This chapter provides an insight into the also the emerging skill gaps with respect to
status of human resource employed in the the rubber industry in Madhya Pradesh.
rubber industry in the state of Madhya
Pradesh. Analyzing the pattern of
manpower recruitment, their skills, skill
gap, training status and its requirement
based on the feedback received from the
surveyed firms, it presents the current
scenario, industry concerns and future
requirement. The survey covered a sample
of 24 rubber product manufacturing firms
involved in the production of adhesive
tapes, belts, cable, footwear, tread rubber,
pharma products, sports goods, tyre, tube
and flap, moulded and extruded rubber
products. The firms belonging to the Through analyzing the responses of the
following cities provided their inputs for surveyed firms in the state, the focus of the
undertaking the skill gap analysis in the chapter is on understanding the present
state: structure of employment, future expansion
 Indore plans, educational and training status and
 Katni the industry players’ expectations from the
 Pithampur various stakeholders viz, RSDC, Industry
 Satna Association, Educational Institutes and
 Sausar other stakeholders.
 Waidhan
Highlighting the present capabilities of the
employees involved in different operations,
Given the different scale of production
the analysis presents a matrix of skill gaps
(small, medium and large) and existing
for various job roles across the different
organizational structure, the skill gap
segments of rubber product manufacturing
prevalent in the industry is analyzed across
in the state. Here, we examine the overall
various job roles attached to different
employment in rubber industry in the state
operational departments. The analysis of
the data collected from the select rubber w.r.t.:
a) Current Status
products manufacturing firms across the
different segments would not only help in b) Issues/Concerns
c) Possible Actions
understanding the existing skill gaps but
A) CURRENT STATUS
A1. Scale of Operations poly urathine footwear manufacturing
Interestingly, the sample selected for the whereas for tubes, it is in favour of butyle
survey belongs majorly to the small scale rubber tubes production.
enterprises based on the investment
Another important variable reflecting the
information revealed by them. Among the
size of the firm relates to the total number
respondents, there is 92 percent small
of employees in the organization.
scale, 4 percent medium scale and 4
percent large scale firms according to their
total investment in the business. However,
the total turnover varies as compared to
the total investment of the firms.

The human resource requirement varies

depending on the nature of the product
produced, scale of automation and
production. The employment pattern
reveals that except for two firms, all the
firms investing upto 5 crores (small scale)
The turnover of the surveyed small scale employ less than 100 persons. It has been
firms ranges between less than a crore to noticed that fifty percent of the small scale
100 crores. However, each of the firms have less than 25 employees. Medium
entrepreneurs surveyed in the state are and large scale firms employ relatively
handling manufacturing of rubber products larger number of employees ranging from
only for one production unit. 50 to 100. A small scale firm belonging to
the Beltings segment hires the highest
Except for the footwear and tube number of employees according to the
manufacturers, majority of the firms do not details shared by the respondent firms.
envision any major change in the According to the survey response, most of
production in their respective segments of the firms have maintained that they face
rubber product manufacturing. The change problem in getting skilled manpower mainly
in footwear section is related to shifting to at operator’s level.
Considering the time zone related to the production capacity, investment, product
establishment of the surveyed firms, no segment and number of total personnel
striking fact has been noticed with respect employed. An analysis of the recruitment
to the size of operations in the last eighty strategy of the firms belonging to the
years. There has been a clear tilt towards rubber industry in the state of Madhya
the small scale firms in the industry in the Pradesh depicts that 96 percent of the
state over the years. The survey provides a surveyed firms have hired all the employees
coverage of a combination of old on their roll and only one firm has 25
established firms as well as newly percent off roll employees.
established firms in the beginning of 21s
Table 3.2: Basis of Employment
century. This particular phenomenon helps
Percentage of on Surveyed Firms (%)
in identifying the problems with respect to roll employees
skilled manpower in the industry for older 0-25 4
and newer firms as well as highlights the 25-50 -
similarity for both. More than half of the
50-100 -
respondent rubber products manufacturing
firms were established before the beginning 100 96
of 21st century in the state of Madhya No single firm has all employees hired on
Pradesh and majority of them during 1975- off roll basis. The firm which has off roll
2000. employees is engaged in manufacturing of
moulded products, auto parts and
Table 3.1: Periodic Table
Year of Number of Firms transformer parts do not indicate any
Establishment correlation with the size of the production
Respondent Firms Small Medium Large and investment by them.
1925-1950 1
The most effective method of employing
1950-1975 1 1
workers in the industry is through internal
1975-2000 14
2000-2015 4 1
references and direct interview for almost
NR 2 all of the surveyed firms. However, there is
It is important to note that whether the no single surveyed firm which reported that
firms are in operation for many years or they are using the consultancy, placement
established in recent past, they all face the agency and their HR department to get the
problem of getting skilled manpower. relevant people for the vacant positions in
their production unit.
A2. Recruitment Strategy
A2.1 Employees Recruitment
Majorly, the firms engaged in rubber
industry are interested in hiring the Among the total firms surveyed in the state,
employees on their roll irrespective of their it has been noticed that 33 percent of them
have recruited all the employees from The main job positions for outside people
Madhya Pradesh only. These are mainly are for operator and helper level while half
moulded and extruded products of the respondent firms have not specified
manufacturing firms. There are employees any specific job role for them. Majority of
coming from other states to work in rubber the firms have clearly mentioned that
product manufacturing firms for two-third outside people are easily available and
of the surveyed firms, however the show less absenteeism that means they are
percentage of employees coming from more regular.
outside varies for different segments of the
A2.2 Attrition Trend
industry. The employment trend depicts
that majority of the respondent firms A noticeable trend related to the
preferred recruiting the employees from employment in the rubber products
outside have their origin from the state of manufacturing unit is that the employees
UP, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar. remain associated with the organizations
Maharashtra and Delhi do contribute to the for longer periods irrespective of the total
workforce engaged in the surveyed rubber number of people employed as a low level
industries in Madhya Pradesh though in a of attrition has been reported by 95 percent
very small proportion. Importantly, there is of the firms. Such trends are similar for
no organization which has recruited all the small, medium and large scale firms. Also,
workers from outside the state. the firms established in the 21st century and
that operating for more than 20-25 years,
employee’s attrition has remained low.

Table 3.3:
Attrition Rate
0- 10 % •92%

More than 10% •8%

Lower attrition rate could be associated

with the fact that the firms train the
employees on their own for their work and
Easy availability and efficiency are the main skilled labour is difficult to find. Therefore,
reasons listed by the firms hiring the people the firms do not want the employees to
mainly from the neighbouring states. leave. On the other hand, people coming
However, some of them have not from outside the state would not prefer to
mentioned any specific reason for hiring change job frequently in case there is no
from outside Madhya Pradesh. issue with respect to monetary rewards.
A2.3 Retention Strategy roles for employment in rubber industry are
related to operator level. Next level for
Skilled manpower is more valuable as
main recruitment is for helpers. It is
compared to their unskilled counterparts
important to note that nearly one sixth of
and therefore it becomes important for
the respondent firms mentioned the there
firms to retain the skilled workers with
is a requirement for people for undertaking
them. However, the survey results show
marketing role. However, it is interesting to
that the employed personnel do not
note that no firm has highlighted any
possess any technical skill before joining
requirement for supervisory role and non-
and gain experience through shop floor
core activities specific to quality assurance.
work only. Here, it is interesting to
understand that if the firms spend time and
resources in training people on the job then
they should have effective retention
strategy. However, it is found that half of
the firms do not have any retention
strategy. For rest of the firms, it is the
monetary aspect related to pay, bonus and
increment as well as good working
conditions which play an important role in
encouraging people to remain associated
with them for a longer period.

Table 3.4:Retaining Employees

In Madhya Pradesh , finding requisite
Retention Strategy Firms Response (%)
number of people for carrying out the
No retention Strategy 50
rubber products manufacturing by the firms
Good pay, increment, 46
is a major concern for 83 percent of the
bonus and facilities
respondent firms. However, the shortage of
Basic Employees 4
facilities
skilled manpower has been identified as a
common problem by those firms. There are
No firm has given importance to long term
very few firms which do not face difficulty
career growth plan as their retention
in hiring operators and helpers.
strategy.
It is interesting to note that neither a single
A2.4: Workforce Status
firm has mentioned about the supervisor’s
A2.4.1 Requirement & Availability of role for recruitment nor they face any
Manpower problem in hiring people for supervisory
The survey analysis for the key job roles for role. Based on the responses of the firms, it
recruitment clearly shows that the main has been pointed out that people remain
associated for the firms for longer duration  Accounts
and thus, it is believed that the requirement An analysis of the employment pattern
for supervisory role does not emerge. reflect that for more than half of the
surveyed firms operators and helpers
A2.4.2 Workforce Distribution: Core and
constitute two-third or more of their total
Non- Core
employees. However, for supervisory role
The proportion of employees engaged in 95 percent of the firms have recruited less
administrative and managerial work is not than 15 percent of their total work force.
very significant in rubber products Interestingly close to fifty percent of the
manufacturing firms across all segments. total respondents have no one recruited
Almost 85 percent of the firms surveyed for quality assurance. The share of senior
are hiring 80 percent or more of their total management for majority of the firms
employees in the production section. remains less than 20 percent. It should be
Moreover, the trend is in line with the noted that the organizations involved in
findings related to the key job roles for retread work have personnel separately
employment in this sector. recruited for Utility and Maintenance and
Research and Development. One third of
Table3.5: Core and Non-Core Distribution the surveyed firms have people recruited
Recruitment in Core Surveyed Firms (%)
for accounts work whereas for others
Functions of
there is no one working separately at the
Production
accountant’s designation.
90% and above 34
80 to 90 % 50
A2.4.4 Drivers of Productivity
70 to 80 % 8
60 to 70 % 8
The firms need to pay attention towards
the productivity of people employed by
them for undertaking various job roles.
A2.4.3 Actual Employment Skill development of employees is one
aspect for which employer should be
The main categories for which firms have
careful about. However, from the point of
listed out their total employment pattern
view of employees what drives their
are as follows:
productivity remains a big question to be
 Supervisor answered. Eliciting the response for this
 Operator question, it has been pointed by majority
 Helper of firms that incentives are the top most
 Senior Management driver of productivity. Monetary
 Quality Assurance phenomenon guides the performance of
the workers to a great extent. However,
 Sales
few firms have not been able to identify
 Office/Management Executives
any reason that drives the productivity of in the state. Such trend does not have any
the employees. correlation with specific segment of rubber
manufacturing units. Only one fourth
respondent firms do not have SOPs.
Nevertheless, these firms have 80-90% of
employees who do not have any vocational
training or higher education (graduation).

It follows from such observations that it is

required for the employees to be educated
to a particular level to follow the standard
procedures.

One of the surveyed firms reported

strictness with respect to the attendance as
the factor affecting the productivity.
Considering these responses, it should be
noted that incentives can be provided easily
by the employer when the worker performs
a task more efficiently over a period of
time. This could be attributed to developing
skills of the workforce for which both
employee as well as employer should pay
attention for improving productivity in the Majority of the organizations surveyed do
long run. have Standard Operating Procedures at
their units. Processes are carried out based
A3. Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) on standard instructions and they revise it
Standard Operating Procedures are laid at different time intervals. For firms
down by the firms to clearly list out the following SOP, 50 percent of them revise it
process to be followed at different levels in as per the requirement (product or process
product manufacturing. It has been modification/technology upgradation) and
observed that three fourth of the 11 percent on regular basis. However, no
respondent firms have the SOPs at their revision has taken place for some firms,
workplace which is a very positive side of reason being the same product and process
the manufacturing practices in the industry followed.
B. ISSUES AND CONCERNS and specialized education however the
ground reality shows that no firm has
B1. Educational Front
recruited employees who are ITI/vocational.
It is assumed that the skills do have a strong The presence of Diploma holders in the
correlation with the educational rubber manufacturing units is negligible,
background of the workers. Considering this not even accounting for 2 percent of the
fact, the section highlights in detail the total number of employees. Merely 6
present scenario of the educational status percent of the total number of employees
of the workers employed in the rubber working in the rubber products
industry in the state of Madhya Pradesh. manufacturing units surveyed are
Only 16 percent of the total surveyed firms Engineers. Also, the firms which hire
have all the employees who are metric pass qualified personnel in the research
and hold higher educational qualification. It department is only restricted to three firms
is interesting to note that fifty percent of and they are not PhD holders, but
the employees working in the rubber Engineers.
industry have completed their school
education. This situation for the state is far •No employees in the 24
better than the condition in Gujarat where ITI/Vocational firms surveyed in the
Education state hold
majority of the workforce employed in the ITI/Vocational training.
industry are not even metric pass. In
Diploma •Low level is witnessed
Madhya Pradesh, almost three fourth of the Holders w.r.t diploma holders at
total respondent firms have 50 percent or 1 percent.
less employees who are not even metric
pass.

Table3.6: Minimum Education •No firm have recruited

Percentage of employees Surveyed personnel with such
higher educational
below 10th standard Firms (%) Phd qualification even in the R
Less than 40 percent 63 & D department .
Engineers •Only 6% Engineers in the
40-70 percent 17 rubber product
manufacturing firms
70-100 percent 4
None 16

The area of concern is the vocational Graduates working in the rubber

training and field specific educational manufacturing units are mainly associated
qualification for the employees working in with the accounts, marketing, quality
the rubber industry in different segments. It assurance and management department.
is important to note that the industry On an average there are 15 percent
employment should focus on vocational graduates working in each firm.
B2. Training been noted that in the smaller
organizations having less than 10
Out of the 24 firms, no firm has a separate
employees, the proprietor/director or the
training department for their employees.
supervisor trains the operator and helpers
Neither had they appointed a trainer nor do
in performing the assigned task.
they arrange any expert visit to their
Experienced operators mainly take up the
workplace. In all, all the firms have adopted
responsibility of training the helpers in
the culture of on the job training, mostly
medium or large organizations. Here, the
prevalent all over the country in the
attitude on the part of the organizations too
manufacturing segment. These firms have
does not reflect an encouraging trend
not indicated separate resources especially
towards resolving the issue of technical
for training their employees. All these firms
skills.
are not tiny organizations but small,
medium and large scale firms. This clearly B2.1 Requirement for Training
indicates less interest shown by the
Although the firms do not allocate specific
organization in allocating separate resource
resources for training department, but all of
for training the employees. However, the
them responding to the requirement for
following chart depicts the persons who are
training agreed unanimously that there is a
mainly engaged in providing in house
sheer need for training the employees.
training to the work force working in the
However, only few organizations clearly
rubber products manufacturing units:
outlined the roles for which there is specific
Fig.3.8: IN-HOUSE TRAINERS requirement for training. Among the
various job roles, the requirement for
operators’ training emerged as the top
Supervisor priority which was followed by helpers
training requirement.
Director/Proprietor B2.3 Training Institutes

Regarding the association of rubber

Experienced Operator products manufacturing firms of different
segments with the training institute, the
survey results present a significant
Technologist observation that 100 percent of the firms
have no direct relation with the training
Although majority of the firms do not have institutes. No firm have any association
any separate training department, they with ITI Colleges and engineering colleges
provide training to the employees by even for recruiting people for electrical,
utilizing their in-house resources. It has mechanical & maintenance department.
No major issue has been highlighted by the indication regarding the regional/state level
firms with respect to the dealing with variations in the skill gap that they witness.
training institutes in the state. However, rest of the firms hold the view
that there is no skill gap due to availability
B3.Missing Skills
of trained workforce. Skill gap can be
Half of the firms who responded to the eliminated by providing training.
query related to the skills that the industry
B4.Role Transfer
find missing in their employees believed
that the workers lack technical skills in this Transfer of roles in the factory premises
industry badly whether it is a small, medium basically mean that a person recruited for
or a large organization. An important area performing a particular job role is also
of concern that they reported relates to the performing the other roles.
requirement of supervision for operations
which means that the workers are not
confident to perform their work
independently. As the employees mainly
gain knowledge on the job which has been
highlighted throughout in the survey
responses, the weakness on the part of
knowledge regarding the properties of the
material/product and their usage seems to
be another area of concern.

The survey results indicate that more than

three fourth of the respondents admits that
there exist a scope of transferring role
among employees. Some of the firms
maintain that job rotation is good for the
performance of the workers. Few firms hold
that they train the workers for performing
multiple tasks/roles. However, those who
have denied the existence of such
B3.1: Regional/State level Variation in Skill phenomenon in their factory premises
Gap belongs to small as well as medium scale
Around 75 percent of the surveyed firms units of the industry in the state. In other
have not responded to provide any words, the person specific role is not
related to the size of the organization as “The Owner himself plays the role of
reflected by the 17 percent respondents. Managing Director and also together plays
multiple roles that of marketing manager,
It is now interesting to ascertain whether
HRM, procurement and production
there is a particular category where role
manager. The helpers do the finishing and
transfer is common or it exists at all levels.
packing. The supervisor along with the
The survey findings do not clearly outline
quality check worker does the quality check.
whether such multiple role performance
happens among helpers, operators or B5. Expansion Plan
supervisors. It has been clearly accepted by
There are very few firms in the industry in
majority of the firms irrespective of their
the state which do not have any future
size and total number of persons employed
expansion plans. The entrepreneurs are
that the workers are performing more than
concerned about their growth in the
one task.
market. Most of the firms engaged in
Such arrangements in the firms points rubber product manufacturing in Madhya
towards an important finding while we Pradesh reported that they have the future
discuss the skill gap issue in our present expansion plans regarding their
analysis, that is , employees have the manufacturing activities. Those firms are
capability of performing more than one role either looking forward to expand same line
than can’t we call is as multi skill of business, enter a new extending product
employees. Then where is exactly the skill line or upgrade the technology.
gap, here we have a reservoir of skills but
the fact is that the employees are not
trained to perfection in one role and
upgraded on regular basis but use their
services in multiple roles in adhoc manner.

B4.1 Skill Gap or Saving on Resources

It has been reiterated by majority of the

firms that transfer of roles among employee
is taking place. However, one should think
over it as it is really a skill gap or firms are
saving on their resources. Even at the senior
management level, the multiple roles are Firms expanding their business may require
performed by the employees. The following the additional workforce; however the
intercepts which has been shared by the respondent firms have not highlighted
some of the firms can be taken for the specifically the job roles. Moreover, the
consideration: total number of additional workforce will
depend on the expansion. Interestingly, the depends greatly on how one measures the
firms are planning for expansion but they output of the worker.
do not have any estimate about the
Some of the firms have not responded to
required capital investment.
the way they measure the output of their
B6. Future Trends: Emerging Skill Gap workers whereas those who have shared
their method regarding the output
Technical education is one area where most
measurement disclosed that it is mainly by
of the respondents feel that the educational
the way of quantity produced on daily basis.
level skill gap would emerge. It has been
Only 4 percent of the firms surveyed
outlined very clearly by each of the
mentioned the inclusion of quality aspect
surveyed firms that the employees working
whereas for 13 percent of the respondent
with them have gained the process and
firms it the output produced by the workers
work knowledge through shop floor
vis-à-vis machine capacity which forms the
experience only. Diploma, ITI and
main component of output measurement
engineering would be the most sought after
by them.
courses for the various job roles associated
with the rubber product manufacturing in
coming five years. Such outlook for the
industry is held by the entrepreneurs
running small as well as medium scale units.

B7.Skills vs Performance Review

Performance of any employee depends on

the ability to perform the work assigned
efficiently, effectively and in timely manner.

Table 3.7: Workers Output Measurement

Parameter Firms (%)
Quantity produced 50 One third of the surveyed firms have not
Machine Capacity 17 shared their process or method of
Daily Report 13 reviewing their workers performance.
Quality 4 These firms are mainly involved in the tread
Batch Time and Speed 4 rubber products and footwear
None 13
manufacturing. However, those who have
However, the output is important but the discussed it mainly mentioned that they
review of the performance is no less review the workers performance on annual
significant to develop and maintain new basis.
and existing skills. Performance review
 It is important to carry out the (RSDC) to play a significant role in providing
performance review by the firms which are the skilled and trained labour force for this
all engaged in the manufacturing activities. industry. Firms have expressed their
Not only the personal development is interest to attend the training programme
reflected through such activities but also organized in their area as well as welcome
the skill gaps get highlighted for each of the the on the floor training at their premises.
employees. However, majority of the firms did not
share any role for educational
C. Possible Actions
institutes/government/ any other
To address the skill gap issue in the rubber stakeholder and have not shown any
industry in the central state of Madhya interest in their participation in skill
Pradesh, the respondents from the development for rubber sector. Few firms
different product segments have suggested have indicated that the council should
the Rubber Skill Development Council facilitate setting up of training institute and
keep a check on ITI.
SKILL GAP ANALYSIS
Before we move on to the skill gap analysis job role and emerging skill requirements in
for the rubber industry in the state of the future in the industry.
Madhya Pradesh based on the survey
A) Missing Skills: An Analysis
conducted for the select manufacturing
units, it is important to understand what we An attempt is made to provide an industry’s
mean by Skill and Skill Gap. An ability and perspective regarding the employees’ skill
capacity acquired through deliberate, gap that the entrepreneurs have identified
systematic and sustained effort to smoothly and experienced in their organizations. Half
and adaptively carry out activities or job of the firms who responded to the query
functions involving ideas, things and people related to the skills that the industry find
is how we may define Skill in the industrial missing in their employees believed that the
set up. Different types of skills are required workers lack technical skills in this industry
in the manufacturing units for various job badly whether it is a small, medium or a
roles. Here it is noteworthy that we first large organization. An important area of
need to define the skills required to concern that they reported relates to the
perform a specific job role and then requirement of supervision for operations
highlight the gap. The difference in the skills which means that the workers are not
required on the job and the actual skills confident to perform their work
possessed by the employees is referred to independently. As the employees mainly
as skill gap. Skill gap analysis for the various gain knowledge on the job which has been
job roles in the rubber industry helps highlighted throughout in the survey
achieve the following objectives: responses, the weakness on the part of
knowledge regarding the properties of the
 Helps to define the skills required in
material/product and their usage seems to
the industry at present and in future
be another area of concern.
 Make employees aware about the
critical skill they will need to Table4.1: Technical Skill Gap: Product Category
develop/learn Wise
 Helps in recruitment effort when
Category Firm’s response (%)
current employee do not possess
Camel back 8
the required skills for the specific job
Footwear 8
role Belts and hoses 17
Tyre, Tube and Flaps 17
This chapter presents the skill gap noted by
Dipped goods 8
the firms producing rubber products in the
Others 42
state, job role wise skill gap for different
segments, skill gap intensity for each of the
B) Skill Gap: Based on Major Classification well as lack of product knowledge is the
main personality trait of the individuals
As reported by the firms, there are distinct
handling machine operations. Issues arising
skill gaps prevalent at different levels.
in functioning of machine and its repair are
However, for some levels, there is no skill
not easily resolved by the operators. They
gap. Broadly, here we will list down the
lack good communication and presentation
main skill gap observed at helper, operator,
skill.
supervisor, quality control and
management level. Following the 3. Supervisor
organizational hierarchy, let’s begin from
Majority of the firms do not find any skill
the bottom of the pyramid.
gap in the performance of supervisory role.
1. Helper Supervisors are the main pillar of the
manufacturing activities under whose
Entrepreneurs feel that the helpers are
guidance the work is carried out in the unit.
careless in performing the assigned task.
One of their main roles is to train the
The individuals working as helpers in the
workforce and get the product ready.
factory premises are primarily less educated
and only understand local language. 4. Quality Control
Generally, they tend to avoid work and
Experts and experienced personnel have
always require supervision. Standard
been hired by the rubber industry for
operating procedures are not followed by
quality checking of the manufactured
them and they are not bothered about
products. There is no skill gap reported by
product manufacturing. In all, it is
the majority of the respondent firms for the
important to focus on their personality
people engaged in performing this job role.
development, disciplinary and
communication skills. An attitude towards 5. Management
self learning need to be developed which is
extremely important for progress on For the people involved in managerial tasks
professional front. associated with production, storage,
maintenance and factory operations, no
2. Operators major skill gap has been identified based on
the survey responses.
The operators handling a range of activities
in the manufacturing unit are not trained There exist large number of employees who
and skilled for performing their roles. On are involved in the production or
the job training is provided to most of the manufacturing process who receives
operators employed in the rubber products training in the factory premises only after
manufacturing units in Madhya Pradesh. getting employed, therefore the skill gap at
Inability to take independent decisions as the entry level is at the highest level.
 Table 4.2: Job Roles and Skill Gap: Madhya Pradesh

Segment Job Role Skill Gap Intensity

Tyre, Tube Mixing Operator  Unskilled Medium

and Flap  On the job training is given
 Lack of chemical
knowledge
 Lack of product Knowledge
Extruder Operator  Unskilled Medium
 On the job training is given
 Handling machine issues
Splicing Operator  Unskilled Medium
 On the job training is given
Curing Operator  Unskilled Medium
 On the job training is given
 Product Knowledge
 Machine knowledge
Testing Operator  Lack of product knowledge Medium
 Improper joint handling
Helper  Avoid work Medium
 Do not follow SOPs
 No idea about product
manufacturing
Quality Check No skill gap Low
Supervisor Avoidance of mistakes Low
Tread Kneader Operator  Always require supervision Low
Rubber  Cannot take decision on
their own
Helper  Education Low to
 Always require supervision Medium
 Cannot take decision on
their own
Factory Incharge No skill gap Low
Mixing Mill Operator  Always require supervision Low to
 Cannot take decision on Medium
their own
 Extruder Operator  Always require supervision Low to
 Cannot take decision on Medium
their own
Calendering Operator  Always require supervision Low to
 Cannot take decision on Medium
their own
Press Operator  Always require supervision Low to
 Cannot take decision on Medium
their own
Maintenance Dept None Low
Research and None Low
Development
Adhesive Production Manager No skill gap Low
Tapes Helpers  Lack educational Medium
qualification
 Poor machine work
 Careless in work
Mixing Mill operator Lack operational skills Medium
Coating Machine Lack maintenance skills Medium
Operator
Finishing Operator Lack presentation skill Medium
Quality Check No skill gap Low
Supervisor No skill gap Low
Moulded & Mixing Mill Operator Lack good communication skill Low
Extruded Extruder Operator Need supervision Low
Products
Moulding Operator Need supervision Low
Curing Operator No skill gap Low
Finishing Operator No skill gap Low
Helper  Unskilled Low
 Do work what is told and
explained
 Less Educated
 Do not understand English
language
Quality Check Supervision required Low
Production Manager None Low
 Store Manager None Low
Marketing Executive None Low
Procurement Executive None Low
Maintenance None Low
Dispatch None Low
Footwear Mixing Operator Less educated Low
Cutting Operator Less educated Low
Moulding Operator Less educated Low
Press Operator Less educated Low
Quality Check Expert Low
Supervisor No skill gap Low
Surgical & Mixing Operator Carelessness Low
pharma Helper  Less Educated Low
Products
 Carelessness
Packing Operator Improper packing Low
Moulding Operator Need supervision from time to Low
time
Curing Operator Need supervision Low
Extruder Operator Need supervision Low
Buffing Operator  Cannot work independently Low
 Need supervision from time
to time
Factory Manager No skill gap Low
Supervisor No skill gap Low
Maintenance Operator No skill gap Low
Note: No skill gap reported by the firms producing belts and cables in the state for
any of the job role.

Skill gaps have been highlighted in the working in the quality control department
above section for the different categories of across the rubber product manufacturing
the employees segment wise in the state segments have not shown any intense skill
but it is significant to understand its gaps, therefore the job roles falling under
intensity to take necessary action for this category may not require any
improving the efficiency of performing immediate action.
assigned tasks. For example: the employees
C) Skill Gap Intensity An analysis of skill gap intensity indicates
that the firms have not rated high skill gap
The intensity of skill gap is listed under
intensity for any role. Most of the operators
three categories by the firms covered in the
are facing low to medium level of skill gap
sample of the study i.e. Low, Medium and
which can be corrected by technical
High. However, the analysis of the
training. Interestingly, firms reported that
responses is listed under following
helpers which form an important part of the
categories based on the given criteria:
industry mainly lack skills in performing
Table 4.3 : Skill Gap Intensity Criteria their tasks carefully, not on their routine
jobs of housekeeping, loading/unloading,
Category Criteria movement of material etc.
(Response of firms)
Low Low: 80 percent or more D) Emerging Skill Gap
Low to Medium Low: 60 to 80% and
Medium:20-40 % It is difficult to find skilled manpower in the
Medium Medium: 80 percent or current scenario as there are mainly
more unskilled and semi-skilled workers are
Medium to High Medium: 60 to 80% and available as per the feedback of the firms
High:20-40 % engaged in rubber product manufacturing
High High: 80 percent or in Madhya Pradesh. The firms believe that
more in the coming five years, the major
Analyzing the responses of the firm for the educational skill gap would emerge of
intensity of the skill gap noted by them for account of finding employees with Diploma,
the various job roles, it is interesting that ITI and engineering in the industry. Also,
the intensity of skill gap is not high for any some of the firms have clearly outlined that
of the roles across the different segments. there will be availability issues w.r.t the
Moreover, two segments viz beltings and skilled operators in near future. It is
cables have not identified any skill gap for noteworthy that firms do not envision any
the specific roles. major change in their line of production.
However, majority of them would like to
The skill gap intensity for operator’s role for
expand the same line of their business.
various activities has been rated low,
Following these two sets of responses, it is
medium to low and medium by the
estimated that the requirement for the job
respondent firms. However, there is only
roles would be more or less same for the
one supervisory role mentioned by the
industry as a whole however technological
organization at the senior level but not
advancement (if any for small and medium
specific to different job roles. Nevertheless,
scale firms) may demand employees trained
the supervisor’s role assumes very low
with operations of automated machines.
intensity for skill gap.
 Fig 4.1: SKILL GAP INTENSITY

Job Role Low Low to Medium Medium High

Medium to High
Supervisor

Factory Manager
Store Manager
Mixing Operator

Kneader Operator

Curing Operator
Calendaring Operator

Moulding Operator
Extruder Operator
Coating Machine
Operator
Cutting Operator

Buffing Operator
Press Operator

Splicing Operator

Testing Operator

Packing Operator
Finishing Operator

Maintenance Operator
Helper

Quality Control

Procurement Executive

Marketing Executive

Dispatch Worker
Research & Development
SEGMENTS AT A GLANCE
TYRE, TUBE AND FLAP
All the respondent firms producing automobile/bicycle tubes mentioned that they skilled
manpower required for their manufacturing process is hard to get. The survey findings reveal
that there is no single surveyed firm which has tried to contact any training institute for their
requirement of supervisor, operators and helpers in the production. The employees for small
scale units producing automobile/bicycle tubes are from Madhya Pradesh as well as outside
the state. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are the two states from where majority of hiring takes place
for outsiders.

Organization Structure

Director

Quality
Supervisor Control Accounts
Manager

Mixing Mill Extruder Curing Splicing Packaging

Operator Operator Operator Operator Helpers

Helpers Helpers Helpers Helpers

Process Outline:
For tube preparation, the mixing of compound is executed as per the required specification and
then the extrusion process takes place. Splicing of the tubes is carried out by the operators as
per the SOPs. With the completion of curing process, the product gets ready for the inspection
and finishing. Product is checked thoroughly and finally packaging is done.
 Quality
Mixing Extrusion Splicing Curing Finishing Packaging
Control

Sample Units Tiny Small Medium Large Total

Tubes - 4 - - 4

Manpower at a glance

All the employees are recruited on roll in the

tube producing firms in the central state of the
country. The major strategy for recruitment is
through direct interview. Majority of the
employees are engaged in the core production
activity, only 7 percent of the total employees
are taking up the administrative, accounting and
managerial tasks. On an average, attrition rate is
10 percent in the surveyed firms producing
tubes.

The main job requirement is for helper

and operator level in tube
manufacturing. In the units covered in
the sample, it has been pointed out
that the entrepreneurs do not see any
great change in future in the product
segment. The firms admit that their
requirement for employees in the
future course of production would be
need based. The main requirement is
for skilled operators. Technical skill is
the main skill gap for which concerns
are raised by majority of the surveyed
firms.
Job Role Distribution in Sample Units

Educational Qualifications (% of total employees)

Educational Qualification Small

Ph.D/Research -
Engineers 3
Graduate 12
Diploma Engineers -
ITI/Vocational Education -
XII/X/School Education 50
Below Xth standard 35
Others (CA, CS, ICWA, MBA etc.) -

Majority of the operators and supervisors are school pass outs whereas helpers are not
educated even up to tenth standard. The owner, account and quality control manager are
mainly graduates.

Training

Training department is not in existence for any of the firms surveyed in the tube segment.
There are no relations of the firms with any of the training institutes in the state. The owner
himself/superviser provide training in the firm. However, firms put forth their views that
operators need to be trained for machine operations and helpers for product handling.

Main Roles and Skill Gap

1. Mixing Mill Operator

Mixing Mill Operator Skill Gap

 Guiding the helpers in
unloading the material into the Tiny Small Medium Large

mixing machine.  No formal

 Add additives and chemical in training

sequence and manner guided  Not efficient

by the supervisor. in handling

 Switch on the machine and the the machine

 clock the cycle which has been operations
set by the manager/supervisor.
 Maintain the machine
parameters i.e, temperature &
pressure
 Maintaining quality of output
and cleanliness of the machine
 Checking the safety while
working on the machine.
 Routine maintenance

Skill Gap Intensity: Medium

Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Operating the machine skillfully and taking due care while working.
 Identify the operation of the machine at hand.
 Know the chemical and additives which need to be added.
Managerial skill:
 Good communication skills for guiding helpers.
 Decision taker
Soft Skills:
 Basic metric system
 Co-ordination with other team members

2. Extruder Operator

Extruder Operator Skill Gap

 Operate the extruder machine
Tiny Small Medium Large
 skillfully.  No formal
 Checking that the safety aspects technical
are followed training.
 Maintaining settings of the  Lack of
machine which has been set by interest
the supervisor.
 Maintain the machine.
 Take care of safety while
working on the process as per
org. guidelines.(as the
temperature is very high)
Skill Gap Intensity: Medium
Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Good knowledge of machine and its operation.
Managerial skill:
 Good communication skills for guiding helpers and coordinating with other operators.
 Motivate team members
Soft Skills:
 Good knowledge of metric system (time, temperature, pressure)
 Good reading skills

3. Splicing Operator

Splicing Operator Skill Gap

 Work for jointing the tube(hot
Tiny Small Medium Large
 joint & cold joint) of cycle and  Lack of
rickshaw formal
 Operating the splicer machine training
for jointing the tube of
automobile
 Guide the helper
Skill Gap Intensity: Medium
Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Good knowledge of machine and its operation.
 Knowledge of hot joint and cold joint in cycle tube case
 Knowledge to operate the splicer machine
 Maintenance skill
Managerial skill:
 Motivate team members Ability to get work done by the helpers
 Ability to take decisions
 Motivate peers and subordinates
 Team spirit
Soft Skills:
 Good knowledge of metric system (time, temperature, pressure)
 Good reading skills
 Interpersonal skills
 Ability to communicate with superior to clear doubts
4. Curing Operator

Curing Operator Skill Gap

 Curing the tube by putting the Tiny Small Medium Large
 mandrel in vulcanization Pan  No formal
 Curing of green tube have done technical
as per the given specification training
 Proper cleaning and  Lack of
maintenance and cleaning of specializatio
vulcanizer n&
 Guide the helper experience
 Properly maintain the machine, to perform
and report any issues to the operation
Supervisor/Proprietor
 Work for the proper upkeep of
the machine
Skill Gap Intensity: Medium
Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Operating the machine skillfully and taking due care while working.
 Proper curing of tubes
 Should be able to follow the guidelines
 Ability to manage waste
Managerial skill:
 Good communication skills for guiding helpers.
 Guide the helpers
Soft Skills:
 Effective communication skill
 Quick learner
 Basic arithmatic

5. Helper (Machine Operations, Finishing, Packaging)

Helper Skill Gap

 Shift the material for the
different processes (i.e. for Tiny Small Medium Large
 mixing, press, cutting, packing,  Do not
storing etc) follow
 Clean the shop floor as when SOPs
guided by the supervisor.  No formal
 Loading and unloading the training
rubber into the mixing mill  Lack of
 Packing the product in respective product
packing material. knowledge
 Do all work as directed by the  Avoidance
supervisor/operator of work
Skill Gap Intensity: Medium
Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Proper finishing and packaging
 Do all the work as directed
 Consistency in work
Soft Skills:
 Basic numeric aptitude
 Good reading skills
 Good listening skill
6. Supervisor

Supervisor Skill Gap

 Manage the shop floor activities.
Tiny Small Medium Large
 Responsible for running of unit
 Avoidance
and production
of
 Planning for production
mistakes
schedule
 Understand the end user
requirement and design
processes to incorporate the
customer needs in the final
 product.
 Monitoring the work of helpers
and operators
 Checking that standard
operating procedure is followed.
Intensity of Skill Gap: Low
Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Knowledge of the rubber industry
 Knowledge of production process.
 Ability to measure dimensions using industrial measuring instruments.
 Ability to supervise plant operation
 Knowledge of the current trends in rubber technology
Managerial Skills:
 Should be able to supervise the team and guide them so that quality is maintained
 Ability to schedule work and manage time
 Ability to motivate workers.
 Ability to manage manpower on plant level.
 Leadership qualities
Soft Skills
 Effective communication and co-ordination skill

7. Quality Technician

Quality Technician
 To check finish product by visual Skill Gap
inspection and quality tests and Tiny Small Medium Large
 procedures as per the standards  No skill gap
 Responsible for assuring quality
 Responsible for rejection
 Identify the process where
defects are originating.
 Perform lab operations

Skill Gap intensity: Low

Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Knowledge of testing procedures
 Knowledge of lab equipment (Rheo meter, Tensile Tester etc) and its handing
 Knowledge lab chemicals and preparations
 Product Knowledge
Soft Skills:
 Good communication skills
 Proper feedback to the concerned person
RUBBER BELT
All the respondent firms producing rubber belts (conveyor and V belts) mentioned that they do
not face high attrition and they hire all their employees on roll. The survey findings reveal that
these small and medium scale firms direct interview as the main strategy for recruitment and
hire employees from within the state, UP, Bihar and Maharashtra. The firms have the plans to
expand same line of business in future.

Organization Structure

Director/Proprietor

General
Administration Manager

Accounts Manager Floor Supervisor Production Manager

Calendering Finishing
Mixing Operator Operator Curing Operator Operator

Helper Helper Helper Helper

Process Outline:
Compound is obtained by mixing the raw materials
Mixing in a mixing and milling machine. Rubber strips are
made to be put in the hydraulic press. Hydraulic
Calendaring press is used for moulding the rubber strips into
belts & conveyers. Hydraulic press requires setting
Vulcanization the temperature, pressure and timing for the
mould. Curing takes place within the process. Once
the belts & conveyer is out of the hydraulic press, it
Finishing and QC
is given finishing touches by cutting of the extra
rubber present. The produced goods are thoroughly
Packaging
checked for compliance to customer specification.
The finished products are then packed and made ready to deliver.

Sample Units Tiny Small Medium Large Total

Rubber Belt - 2 1 - 3

Manpower at a glance

All the employees are recruited on roll in

the select rubber belt producing firms in
the state, there is no firm recruiting its
employees off roll. Majority of the
employees are engaged in the core
production activity, only 9 percent of the
total employees are taking up the
administrative, accounting and managerial
tasks. In the units covered in the sample,
the information shared about their
employee classification has helped in identifying the proportion of different level of employees
in this segment. The main job role is for
operators in the belt manufacturing units.
Technical skills are found missing in the
operators working in the belt
manufacturing units.

The transfer of roles is frequently noticed

in these firms as the workers handle
multiple tasks. Standard operating
procedures are followed by all firms in
this segment of the industry and SOPs are
revised as per requirement.
 Educational Qualifications (% of total employees)

Educational Qualification Small Medium

Ph.D/Research - -
Engineers - 5
Graduate 5 10
Diploma Engineers - 15
ITI/Vocational Education - -
XII/X/School Education 80 40
Below Xth standard 14 30
Others (CA, CS, ICWA, MBA etc.) 1 -

Training

Training department is not in existence for any of the firms surveyed in the rubber belts
segment. The responding firms highlighted that there is a need to train mixing and press
operator, however they do provide on the job training. Moreover, there is no relation with any
training institute of these three firms.

Main Roles and Skill Gap

1. Mixing Operator

Mixing Operator Skill Gap

 Check the raw material Tiny Small Medium Large
 Prepare batches as per  No skill gap  No skill gap
instructed.
 Maintenance of the machine.
 Report to Production In-charge
 Guiding the helpers in
unloading/loading
 Add additives and chemical in
sequence and manner guided by
the supervisor.
  Authority to stop the production
in case of any quality issues
 Maintain the safety aspects as
shared by the supervisor
 After mixing, get the compound
checked by lab assistant
 Follow standard operating
procedures

Intensity of skill gap: Low

Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Knowledge about the chemicals and rubber.
 Operate the machine skillfully.
 Attentive towards the work process.
 Know the composition and required specification.
 Visual inspection of the compound to understand the condition.
 Avoid contamination of the compound.
 Quality Awareness
Managerial skills:
 Guiding the helpers for routine work
 Ability to communicate with the plant in-charge in case of any faults or technical issues
Soft Skills:
 Good communication skills
 Good listening skills.
 A quick learner and clearly understand and implement what the Supervisor /Proprietor say
 Ask for any help and report to the work-in-charge.

2. Calendaring Operator

Calendaring Operator Skill Gap

  Maintenance of the machine. Tiny Small Medium Large
 Running the calendars  No skill gap  No skill gap
 Knowledge of Calendering
cushions, cord rubberizing,
frame making
 Know the dimensions of the
rubber sheet.
 Setting time & required
temperature.
 Once calendaring of the sheet is
done, visual inspection is done,
re-adjusted.
 Wrapping it up for further
processing.
 Precautions to be taken to avoid
accidents
Intensity of Skill Gap: Low
Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Operating the machine skillfully and taking due care while working.
 Should be able to follow the standard operating procedures
 Handling of equipments properly
 General maintenance skills
Managerial skill:
 Good communication skills for guiding helpers.
 Guide the helpers in proper loading and unloading of material
Soft Skills:
 Effective communication skill
 Quick learner
 Basic arithmatic
 3. Curing Operator

Curing Operator Skill Gap

 Operate the curing machine Tiny Small Medium Large
 Set the temperature and heat  No skill  No skill
pressure control gap gap
 Check proper functioning of
machine and maintenance of the
press.
 Shut down production in case of
quality problem and
immediately report to the
production manager
 Take care of safety issues
Intensity of Skill Gap : Low
Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Thorough knowledge of curing process and working of press.
 Maintain the appropriate temperature and pressure at all times.
 Knowledge of various controls
 Knowledge of impact of temperature
 Pressure duration of exposure to heat on the final product’s properties
Soft Skills:
 Good knowledge of metric system (time, temperature, pressure)
 Good communication skills
 Interpersonal skill

4. Production Manager

Production Manager Skill Gap

 Manage and control production
Tiny Small Medium Large
 activities.  No skill  No skill
 Planning for production schedule gap gap
 Instructing/guiding operators
and supervisor
 Understand the end user
requirement and design
processes to incorporate the
customer needs in the final
product.
 Get involved in quality control
 Resource Management
 Give Technical Instruction –
machine & job
 Safety issues

Intensity of Skill Gap: Low

Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Knowledge of the rubber industry
 Knowledge of the current trends in rubber technology
Managerial Skills:
 Should be able to supervise the team and guide them so that quality is maintained
 Ability to schedule work and manage time
 Ability to motivate workers.
Soft Skills
 Effective communication skill

5. Accountant

Accountant Skill Gap

  To perform the various Tiny Small Medium Large
documentation functions.  No skill gap  No skill
 To assist the marketing, manifested gap
purchase, HR and accounts manifest
function as and when required. ed
 To communicate with the
external parties.
Skill Gap intensity: Low
Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Knowledge of various documents and their importance.
 Mathematical and accounting Skills.
 Ability to communicate in English language
 Good IQ level.
 Ability to communicate and negotiate with the external parties.
 Knowledge of computers
Soft Skills
 Effective communication skill

6. Helper

Helper Skill Gap

 Shift the material for the Tiny Small Medium Large
different processes
 No skill gap  No skill
 Clean the shop floor as and
gap
when guided by the supervisor.
 Loading and unloading the
material
 Finishing and packing the
product in respective packing
 material.
 Do all work as directed by the
supervisor/operator

Skill Gap Intensity: Low

Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Proper finishing and packaging
 Do all the work as directed
 Pay attention towards direction
 Consistency in work
Soft Skills:
 Basic mathematical skills for product counting, identification of numbers etc.
 Good reading skills
 Discipline

7. Marketing Manager

Marketing Manager Skill Gap

 To perform the various
Tiny Small Medium Large
documentation functions.
 No skill gap  No skill
 To assist the marketing,
manifested gap
purchase, HR and accounts
manifest
function as and when required.
ed
 To communicate with the
external parties.
 Promote the product through
various channels
Skill Gap intensity: Low
Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Knowledge of various documents and their importance.
 Marketing Skills.
 Ability to communicate in local and English language
 Good IQ level.
 Ability to communicate and negotiate with the external parties.
Soft Skills
 Effective communication skill

8. Quality Technician

Quality Technician
 To check finish product by visual Skill Gap
inspection and quality tests and Tiny Small Medium Large
procedures as per the standards
 No skill gap  No skill gap
 To perform the various manifested manifested
documentation functions.
 Identify the process where
defects are originating.

Skill Gap Intensity: Low

Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Knowledge of testing procedures
 Knowledge of lab equipment and its handing
 Knowledge lab chemicals and preparations
Soft Skills:
 Good communication skills
TREAD RUBBER
In the last thirty years, a clear trend of employees performing multiple roles in the
manufacturing rubber products has been observed by all the responding firms. The
entrepreneurs accept that there is ample scope of transfer of roles for employees in their units.
Majority of recruitment takes place for operators and helpers job role. Firms involved in tread
rubber and retreading in the state hire a large proportion of their workforce from outside,
mainly operators from UP, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.

Organization Structure

Director/Proprietor

Maintenance Accounts Works

Electrical Mechanical Design Factory

Engineer Engineer Engineer Incharge

Kneader Mixing Extruder Calendering

Curing
Operator Operator Operator Operator
Operator

Helper Helper Helper Helper Helper

Process Outline:
The manufacturing of tread rubber products involves
Mixing the use of kneader as well as mixing machine. At first,
raw material is put into the kneader machine. Cold mix
Extrusion is obtained by mixing in machine. Material is passed
to extruder and the specific product is put in the
press. After that, calendering process is carried out.
Curing
The produced goods are thoroughly checked for
compliance to customer specification. The finished
Calendering products are then packed and made ready to
deliver. In case of retreading, the product is
QC and Packaging inspected carefully then sent for buffing.
Retreading is carried out either through cold or hot process. Curing is undertaken and the
product is then sent for final inspection.

Reparing/
Inspection Buffing Curing Inspection Packaging
Cementing

Sample Units Tiny Small Medium Large Total

Tread Rubber and Retreading - 4 - - 4

Manpower at a glance

On an average, the number of employees

in the select units is not more than 20, as
all the responding firms are small scale
manufacturing units. All the employees are
recruited on roll in the select firms involved
in manufacturing of tread products and
retreading in the state, there is no firm
recruiting its employees off roll. Majority
of the employees are engaged in the core
production activity, whereas one fifth of
the total employees are taking up the
administrative, accounting and managerial tasks. The employees are recruited mainly through
direct interview. The attrition rate is not high in these units and they primarily follow the
retention strategy of paying bonus and annual salary increment. Seventy five percent of the
surveyed firms easily find the employees required by them and do not face any shortage.
However, the transfer of roles is frequently noticed in these firms as the workers handle
multiple tasks. Training is provided to the workers in the unit only, neither there is any separate
training department nor there do any recruitment from training institute.
In the units covered in the sample, the
information shared about their employees
classification has helped in identifying the
proportion of different level of employees
in this segment. The main job role is for
operators in the tread products and
retreading units. Standard operating
procedures are followed by all firms in this
segment of the industry and SOPs are
revised as per requirement.

Regarding the educational qualification of

the employees in different categories,
office staff holds degree of graduation whereas the helpers have mainly completed
secondary/senior secondary. Surprisingly, most of the operators have completed B.tech.
However, there are personnel undertaking the task of research and development but their
educational qualifications are not higher than graduation.

Educational Qualifications (% of total employees)

Educational Qualification Small

Ph.D/Research -
Engineers 28
Graduate 27
Diploma Engineers -
ITI/Vocational Education -
XII/X/School Education 28
Below Xth standard 17
Others (CA, CS, ICWA, MBA etc.) -

Training

Training department is not in existence for any of the firms surveyed in the referred segment.
The responding firms highlighted that there is a need to train employees, but they do provide
on the job training after hiring them. Moreover, there is no relation with any training institute
of these firms operating in the central state of the country.
Main Roles and Skill Gap

1. Mixing Operator

Mixing Operator Skill Gap

 Check the raw material Tiny Small Medium Large
 Prepare batches as per  Always
instructed. require
 Maintenance of the machine. supervision
 Report to Production In-charge  Cannot
 Guiding the helpers in take
unloading/loading decision on
 Add additives and chemical in their own
sequence and manner guided by
the supervisor.
 Authority to stop the production
in case of any quality issues
 Maintain the safety aspects as
shared by the supervisor
 After mixing, get the compound
checked by lab assistant
 Follow standard operating
procedures

Intensity of skill gap: Low to Medium

Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Knowledge about the chemicals and rubber.
 Operate the machine skillfully.
 Attentive towards the work process.
 Know the composition and required specification.
 Visual inspection of the compound to understand the condition.
 Avoid contamination of the compound.
  Quality Awareness
Managerial skills:
 Guiding the helpers for routine work
 Ability to communicate with the plant in-charge in case of any faults or technical issues
Soft Skills:
 Good communication skills
 Good listening skills.
 A quick learner and clearly understand and implement what the Supervisor /Proprietor say
 Ask for any help and report to the work-in-charge.

2. Calendaring Operator

Calendaring Operator Skill Gap

 Maintenance of the machine.
Tiny Small Medium Large
 Running the calendars
 Cannot take
 Knowledge of Calendering
decisions
cushions, cord rubberizing,
independent
frame making
ly
 Know the dimensions of the
 Always
rubber sheet.
require
 Setting time & required
supervision
temperature.
 Once calendaring of the sheet is
done, visual inspection is done,
re-adjusted.
 Wrapping it up for further
processing.
 Precautions to be taken to avoid
accidents
Intensity of Skill Gap: Low to Medium
Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Operating the machine skillfully and taking due care while working.
 Should be able to follow the standard operating procedures
 Handling of equipments properly
 General maintenance skills
Managerial skill:
 Good communication skills for guiding helpers.
 Guide the helpers in proper loading and unloading of material
Soft Skills:
 Effective communication skill
 Quick learner
 Basic arithmatic

3. Press Operator

Press Operator Skill Gap

 Operate the curing machine Tiny Small Medium Large
 Set the temperature and heat  Always
pressure control require
 Check proper functioning of supervisio
machine and maintenance of the n
press.  Cannot
 Shut down production in case of take
quality problem and decisions
immediately report to the on their
production manager own
 Take care of safety issues
Intensity of Skill Gap : Low to Medium
Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Thorough knowledge of curing process and working of press.
  Maintain the appropriate temperature and pressure at all times.
 Knowledge of various controls
 Knowledge of impact of temperature
 Pressure duration of exposure to heat on the final product’s properties
Soft Skills:
 Good knowledge of metric system (time, temperature, pressure)
 Good communication skills
 Interpersonal skill

4. Factory Incharge

Production Manager Skill Gap

 Manage and control production
Tiny Small Medium Large
activities.
 No skill
 Planning for production schedule
gap
 Instructing/guiding operators
and supervisor
 Understand the end user
requirement and design
processes to incorporate the
customer needs in the final
product.
 Get involved in quality control
 Resource Management
 Give Technical Instruction –
machine & job
 Safety issues

Intensity of Skill Gap: Low

Skills Required
Technical Skills:
  Knowledge of the rubber industry
 Knowledge of the current trends in rubber technology
Managerial Skills:
 Should be able to supervise the team and guide them so that quality is maintained
 Ability to schedule work and manage time
 Ability to motivate workers.
Soft Skills
 Effective communication skill

5. Maintenance

Maintenance Skill Gap

 Finding defect/problems in
Tiny Small Medium Large
machines documentation
 No skill
functions.
gap
 Repairing the machine or finding
the alternative
 Setting machine load capacity.
 Training operators for right use
of machine

Skill Gap intensity: Low

Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Mechanical Engineer/Electrical Engineer/Design Engineer
 Domain knowledge and specialization
 Ability to communicate in English and local language
 Good IQ level.
Soft Skills
 Effective communication skill
  Good observation skill

6. Helper

Helper Skill Gap

 Shift the material for the Tiny Small Medium Large
different processes
 Education
 Clean the shop floor as and
 Always
when guided by the supervisor.
require
 Loading and unloading the
supervision
material
 Cannot
 Finishing and packing the
take
product in respective packing
decision on
material.
their own
 Do all work as directed by the
supervisor/operator
Skill Gap Intensity: Medium
Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Proper finishing and packaging
 Do all the work as directed
 Pay attention towards direction
 Consistency in work
Soft Skills:
 Basic mathematical skills for product counting, identification of numbers etc.
 Good reading skills
 Discipline

7. Research and Development

Research and Development

  To work for the development of Skill Gap
new production line
Tiny Small Medium Large
 Modification in current value
 No skill
chain
gap
 Rubber modification (use of
rubber)
 To perform the various
documentation functions.
 Identify the process where
defects are originating.
Skill Gap Intensity: Low
Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Expert in production process
 Expert in the field of rubber
 Knowledge of lab functions and testing procedures
Managerial Skills:
 Proper documentation
 Maintaining confidentiality as per the requiremnet
Soft Skills:
 Good communication skills
 Good analytical skills
MOULDED & EXTRUDED PRODUCTS
Majority of the respondent firms producing moulded and extruded products mentioned that
they recruit only local people for their manufacturing process. Only one firm is employing
outside people in this segment (10 percent of their total employees) and those employees are
coming from the different locations. The survey findings reveal that the firms are looking
forward to expand in the same line of operations and the requirement for additional human
resource would depend on the scale of business expansion.

Organization Structure

Director/Proprietor

Accounts Quality Production

Manager Technician Manager

Supervisor

Mixing Moulding Extruder Curing

Operator Helpers:
Operator Operator Operator Finishing,Packaging,
Dispatch
Helper Helper Helper Helper

Process Outline:
Compound is obtained by mixing the raw materials
Mixing
in a mixing machine. The mixing takes place as per
the required specification and then the sheet/strip
Moulding/Extrusion is prepared. Then the desired shape product is put
in the moulding machine and then curing takes
Curing place. Finishing of the product is carried out. The
produced goods are thoroughly checked for
Finishing and QC/QA compliance to customer specification. The finished
products are then packed and made ready to
Packaging deliver.
Similar process is followed for extruded product. Compound is obtained by mixing the raw
materials in a mixing machine. The mixing takes place as per the required specification then
the process of extrusion is carried out. Curing takes place as per the specified procedure.
Finishing of the product is carried out. The produced goods are thoroughly checked for
compliance to customer specification. The finished products are then packed and made ready
to deliver.

Sample Units Tiny Small Medium Large Total

Moulded & Extruded Products - 6 - - 6

Manpower at a glance

The employees are recruited on roll as well

as off roll in the rubber moulded and
extruded goods producing firms in the
state. Firms hiring 100 percent on roll
employees have small scale of production, a
common trend observed in other segments
of rubber manufacturing as well in the
state. The major strategy for recruitment is
through direct interview/walk-ins. Majority
of the employees are engaged in the core
production activity, only 20 percent of the
total employees are taking up the administrative, managerial and accounting tasks. All the units
covered in the survey under this segment feel that there is a scope for transfer of roles in the
activities carried out by the workers in their units as they perform multiple tasks.

Half of the surveyed firms have clearly mentioned that they easily find the requisite number of
employees required to carry out the production whereas others have highlighted that there is a
shortage of skilled manpower especially operators. Also, the employees lack skills with respect
to technical knowledge and quality awareness as per the respondent firms in moulded and
extruded goods producing units.

As per the classification of employees, the segment indicates mainly the requirement of
operators and helpers followed by sales personnel. Interestingly, none of the firms have any
one recruited for research and development in this segment of rubber product manufacturing.
Also, the analysis for supervisory role indicates that there is only one supervisor s/production
manager handling the manufacturing of the product in the unit. Specific role for accountants
imply that accounts are handled by qualified individuals not by proprietors themselves given
the small scale of operations.

Job Role Distribution in Sample Units

An analysis of operator level employment reflects that there is mainly the requirement for
mixing and moulding followed by extrusion operation. The requirement for extrusion emerges
as some of the firms involved in the production of moulded products also produces extruded
product.

Operator Level Employment Pattern

With regard to the educational qualification of the workers employed in the firms producing
extruded and moulded products, it has been observed that there is a shortage of technically
qualified operators and they do not score very high on their qualification level.

Educational Qualifications (% of total employees)

Educational Qualification Small

Ph.D/Research -
Engineers 7
Graduate 18
Diploma Engineers -
ITI/Vocational Education -
XII/X/School Education 41
Below Xth standard 29
Others (CA, CS, ICWA, MBA etc.) 5

Training

Four firms have training department, two large scale and two small scale firms while 19 firms surveyed
in the moulded goods segment in the state do not have any separate training department. Nearly one
third firms highlighted that they mainly provide on the job training. However, it is interesting to note
that no firm has any relation with the training institutes.

Main Roles and Skill Gap

1. Mixing Mill Operator

Mixing Mill Operator Skill Gap

 Operation of the machine as
per the guidelines Tiny Small Medium Large

 Mixing the raw material and  Communication

the Chemical in proper Skill gap

proportion
 Prepare batches as per
Compound card
 Maintain the pressure and the
 temperature of the machine so
that mixing occurs properly
 Maintain the machine as per
the guidelines of the
management.
 Check that the preparations
are without any deformities
and blending has occurred
properly; as is suitable for the
next process.
 Completion of mixing in given
time
 Quality of mix must meet the
set standard
Skill Gap Intensity: Low
Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Good understanding of the machine at work.
 Knowledge of identifying the chemicals to be added to raw material.
 Putting the chemicals in sequence.
 Attentive towards the work process.
 Know the composition and required specification.
 Visual inspection of the compound to understand the condition.
 Knowledge of rubber and batch making process
Managerial skills:
 Guiding the helpers for routine work
Soft Skills:
 Good communication skills
 Good listening skills.
 Understanding skills for performing work quickly
 2. Moulding Operator

Moulding Operator Skill Gap

 Operate the machine properly.
Tiny Small Medium Large
 Proper use of die
 Need
 Application of different die fo r
supervision
different products
from time
 Maintenance of moulding
to time
machine production
manager/supervisor
 Follow the guidelines given by
 Report to the in-
charge/supervisor in case of
trouble
Skill Gap Intensity: Low
Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Operating the machine skillfully and taking due care while working.
 Handling the moulds as prescribed
 Knowledge of the use of die for different product
 Finely work on the preparation based on the dimensions set by the management.
 Maintain the machine so that it is suitable to work on for the next shift
Managerial skill:
 Good communication skills for guiding helpers.
 Guide the helpers in proper application of the produced product
Soft Skills:
 Effective communication skill

3. Extruder Operator

Extruder Operator Skill Gap

  Proper operation of the machine Tiny Small Medium Large
 Maintenance of the machine.  Need
 Controlling machinery operation supervision
when work is in process.
 Keeping track of produced
product.

Skill Gap Intensity: Low

Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Thorough knowledge of process and working of extruder.
 Maintenance of machine.
 Knowledge of product
Managerial skill:
 Good communication skills.
Soft Skills:
 Good knowledge of metric system (time, temperature, pressure)
 Good reading skills
4. Curing Operator

Curing Operator Skill Gap

 Maintenance of the machine.
Tiny Small Medium Large
 Control of temperature when
the product is inside it.  No skill

 Keeping track of curing time for gap

each product.

Skill Gap Intensity: Low

Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Thorough knowledge of curing process and press and it’s working.
  Maintain the appropriate temperature and pressure at all times.
 Knowledge of product
Managerial skill:
 Good communication skills.
Soft Skills:
 Good knowledge of metric system (time, temperature, pressure)
 Good reading skills

5. Quality Technician

Quality Technician
 To check the quality of the Skill Gap
product by visual inspection and
quality tests and procedures as Tiny Small Medium Large

per the standards  No skill gap

 Changing and implementing
changes for mixtures whenever
necessary
 Lab machine operations
 Reporting to the
Director/concerned person if
quality is not upto mark
 Check with operators for quality
issues
 Quality Assurance
Skill Gap Intensity: Low
Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Knowledge of testing procedures
 Knowledge of lab equipment and its handing
 Knowledge lab chemicals and preparations
  Product knowledge
Soft Skills:
 Good communication skills

6. Supervisor

Supervisor Skill Gap

 Manage the shop floor activities.
Tiny Small Medium Large
 Responsible for running of unit
 No skill
and production
gap
 Planning for production
schedule
 Instruct the workers
 Understand the end user
requirement and design
processes to incorporate the
customer needs in the final
product.
 Get involved in quality control
 Timely completion of the work
 Reporting to the owner about
daily work
Intensity of Skill Gap: Low
Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Knowledge of the product and production process
 Knowledge of the rubber industry
 Knowledge of the current trends in rubber technology
Managerial Skills:
 Should be able to supervise the team and guide them so that quality is maintained
  Ability to schedule work and manage time
 Ability to motivate workers.
Soft Skills
 Effective communication skill
 Coordination skills
 Guiding skills

7. Production Manager

Production Manger Skill Gap

 Supervision of production unit
Tiny Small Medium Large
 Responsible for running of unit
 No skill
and production
gap
 Keeping people at right places
 Planning for production
schedule
 Understand the end user
requirement and design
processes to incorporate the
customer needs in the final
product.
 Get involved in quality control
 Responsible for any delay and
default
Intensity of Skill Gap: Low
Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Knowledge of the rubber and rubber industry
 Knowledge of product and value chain of product
 Knowledge of the current trends in rubber technology
Managerial Skills:
 Should be able to supervise the team and guide them so that quality is maintained
 Ability to schedule work and manage time
 Ability to motivate and handle workers.
Soft Skills
 Effective communication skill
 Coordination skill

8. Helper

Helper Skill Gap

 Shift the material from the
Tiny Small Medium Large
different process (i.e. mixing to
 Unskilled
press to cutting to packing to
 Perform
storing)
only the
 Carry out cleanliness and
work what
housekeeping activities as and
is told and
when guided by the
explained,
operators/supervisor.
no
 Loading and unloading the
initiative
rubber into the mixing mill
taken on
 Powdering the sheet after the
his own
curing.
 Finishing and packing the
product in respective packing
material.
 Do all work as directed by the
operators/supervisor
Skill Gap Intensity: Low
Skills Required
Technical Skills:
  Knowledge of raw material handling (loading/unloading)
 Proper cutting, finishing and packaging
 Do all the work as directed
 Remove the moulds from the rubber in line with the guidance of the supervisor
 Proper handling of products
Soft Skills:
 Basic mathematical skills for product counting, identification of numbers etc.
 Good reading skills

9. Marketing Executive
Marketing Executive Skill Gap
 Bringing the wide range of
Tiny Small Medium Large
customers
 No skill gap
 Maintaining relation with
business partners and customers
 Finding new opportunities
 Planning for future

Skill Gap Intensity: Low

Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Knowledge of product produced
 Influencing power
Soft Skills:
 Effective communication skill
 Managing complaints

10. Procurement Executive

Procurement Executive Skill Gap
 Procurement of raw material
Tiny Small Medium Large
 and other items required in  No skill gap
production
 Maintaining relation with
suppliers
 Procuring material at
competitive price
 Managing procurement in timely
manner
 Checking for the proper storage
of procured material

Skill Gap Intensity: Low

Skills Required
Technical Skills:
 Knowledge of material procured
 Bargaining power
 Rubber market knowledge
Soft Skills:
 Effective communication skill
 Managing complaints
HUMAN RESOURCE REQUIREMENT
In the rubber industry, there are people maintenance segment employment is
employed mainly in the two main segments estimated considering the various
i.e. tyre and non-tyre manufacturing. In parameters such as road network in the
addition to this, there are a large number of country, number of villages and number of
human resources engaged in the repair and petrol pumps. An emerging segment of
maintenance of the tyre and tube which recycle, reuse and waste accounts for an
forms an important segment of estimated 3 percent of the total
employment for the rubber industry in the employment in the industry in the three
country. Here, we first attempt to estimate segments discussed above.
the current employment in the rubber
A2. Future Requirements
industry in the state of Madhya Pradesh
which forms the basis of our estimation for Human resource requirement in any
the human resource requirement in the industry in coming years depends on the
coming years. expansion of existing units, setting up of
new units and development in technology
A1. Employment in Rubber Industry
in use. In addition, to this the overall
Around 1.17 lakh people are estimated to growth of the state economy,
be engaged in the rubber industry in the manufacturing sector and social
state of Madhya Pradesh. The employment development are important factors
for the following segments have been facilitating growth in any industry and thus
considered to arrive at the workforce the employment. An estimation based on
associated with the rubber industry. responses collected in the sample survey
regarding their expansion plans,
a) Tyre and Tube Companies
automation; recently set up major tyre
b) Non-tyre companies
plants and expansion in coming year;, and
c) Repair and Maintenance
other factors such as GSDP, Manufacturing
d) Recycle, Reuse and Waste
sector growth, capital investment and HDI,
As the tyre and tube manufacturing firms has been attempted to highlight the human
are mainly operating in the organized resource requirement in the rubber
segment, the employment in these firms industry in the state.
has been estimated based on the industry
A forecast for the human resource
feedback. The employment for the firms
requirement in next five years is presented
engaged in the non-tyre segment has been
below to indicate the future trend in the
arrived on the basis of data collected in the
rubber industry in the heart of the country,
survey conducted for the rubber industry by
i.e. Madhya Pradesh.
the RSDC. However, the repair and
 Table6.1: Five Year Forecast It is estimated that in the coming five years,
Category Incremental we may witness an overall 22 percent
Human Resource increase in the employment in the rubber
Requirement
industry in the state.
1. Auto tyres & tubes* 18730
2. Camel back 1220 Taking a note of the job role requirement in
3. Footwear 1615 the manufacturing units, the survey
4. Belts and hoses 1062 feedback underlines the main requirement
5. Latex foam 427 of skilled operators in coming years.
6. Dipped goods 619 Moreover, the fact that the firms are
7. Others@ 1664 looking towards the modernization and
Total 25336 automation, there will be greater demand
Human Resource Requirement in the tyre for operators handling automatic machines.
segment is estimated based on the recently Table 6.2 provides a direction for the
started large tyre plants in the state and on- industry requirement under the major job
going projects in this segment. Moreover, category in the state. At the operator level,
the growth in the state domestic product the highest demand would be emerging for
and manufacturing segment in the state, mixing operators. Skilled operators would
rubber consumption, positioning of human find greater opportunities knocking at their
development index and capital investment door in the manufacturing segment.
in the last five years is considered to arrive
at the estimated requirement for the
Table 6.2: Job Role wise Requirement
human resources in the various segments.
Job Role % of human resource
The estimation for the category of Auto tyre
requirement
and tubes includes requirement in the
Supervisor 3
Repair and Maintenance segment as well as Manager 4
Recycle, Re-use and Waste segment. Operator 47
• Mixing 14
The incremental human resource
• Curing 10
requirement for 25,000 workers in the
• Moulding 10
rubber industry in the state is based on the • Cutting 4
trends witnessed in the past, the current • Extruder 9
industry scenario and survey responses Helper 23
received from the respondent firms. The Packaging/Dispatch 10
estimations provide a direction of change, QC 6
however, in an ever changing environment Office/Marketing 7
in which the production takes place the
exact requirement may vary as the time
unfolds.