VW Skoda - Darpan Newsletter June 2021

DARPAN JUNE 2021 | ISSUE 05

THE KING ARRIVES...

KUSHAQ SOP AND LAUNCH PAGE 2

VACCINATION DRIVE, HR INITIATIVES AT SAVW PAGE 6

ENVIRONMENT DAY CELEBRATION PAGE 8-9

The Glorious moment…

Gurpratap Boparai, Managing Director, SAVW and Mojmir Hajek, Technical Director drove the all-new ŠKODA KUSHAQ off the final line CP8 – and ushered in the dawn of a new era at SAVW.

CELEBRATING THE ARRIVAL OF THE ONE TRUE KING.

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he top Management of SAVW along with the Heads of Department of different verticals witnessed the rollout of the series production ŠKODA KUSHAQ at the Assembly Shop - Check Point 8 (CP8).

The Start of Production (SoP) is an important milestone and defines the success for any car manufacturing facility. The all-new KUSHAQ marks the beginning of a new chapter for us in India. The INDIA 2.0 Project kick-started in 2017 and it was immensely satisfying to see the KUSHAQ finally roll out after years of dedication and hard work.

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As Indian as it can get KUSHAQ is one of the first cars under the INDIA 2.0 Project that focuses on products completely developed in India suiting the requirements of the Indian customers. The all-new ŠKODA offering doesn’t only bear an Indian name but it is as Indian as all of us can imagine. Just as every Indian marks the start of any auspicious occasion by offering prayers to the Almighty, the top management and project heads from various divisions offered their prayers at the Havan Poojan organized for the SoP event of ŠKODA KUSHAQ.

Our drive kept us going!

Far from India, but still a part of it

Any new project always has its unique challenges and our teams at SAVW saw their share of those. Adhering to stringent timelines while assuring the readiness of our suppliers, and ensuring superior quality standards that we coveted for was not an easy task.

Additionally, the global pandemic put a damper on our initial plans. However, through cross-functional cooperation and resilient teamwork, we individually and collectively ensured that the project not just remained on track, but also exceeded expectations.

And that’s how we realized this major project milestone.

While the ongoing pandemic and travel restrictions kept Mladá Boleslav colleagues away from India, video conferencing ensured that witnessed the memorable ocassion. Amidst the lockdown challenges, the support extended by our colleagues at the headquarters was crucial and truly commendable.

Dr. Michael Oeljeklaus, Member of the Board of Management for Production and Logistics whole heartedly congratulated his Indian colleagues for the milestone achieved and expressed excitement to visit the Pune facility soon.

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A success story in the making

The all-new KUSHAQ was launched in the Indian Market on 28 June, 2021 at an introductory price range of 10.49 lakhs to 17.59 lakhs and is available in 7 variants across ŠKODA dealerships in India. KUSHAQ is offered to Indian customers with two engine options – the 1.0 L TSI and 1.5 L TSI petrol engines with three gearbox options – the 1.0 L TSI is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox or 6-speed Torque Converter AT gearbox while the 1.5 L TSI is mated to a 7-speed DSG or 6 speed manual gearbox.

Seeing the first few KUSHAQ SUVs rolling off the production line at the Pune facility is a

matter of pride and joy for each one of us who contributed to the success of the project, and we now look forward to the success of KUSHAQ. We are confident that KUSHAQ will fulfill the expectations of Indian customers and will be instrumental in helping us realize our targeted 5% market share by the year 2025.

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Price Range 10.49 lakhs to 17.59 lakhs

INSIDE THE MIND OF MANOLITO VUJICIC, BRAND DIRECTOR – PORSCHE INDIA

‘Life’ is my favourite hobby…

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ach one of us would agree that the past year witnessed a muted slack in motivation amongst a lot of people, making it difficult to stay inspired and driven towards our goals.

I have been asked numerous timeswhat is it that keeps me determined to pursue my ambitions even during such unprecedented times. Drawing from my experiences, all I can say is that a

winning combination of possessing a relentless attitude to take on challenges, exploring new and exciting opportunities outside of the comfort zone, and pushing yourself to achieve the best version of you is the key to success. Having worked as Porsche’s Brand President at PAIG (China) Automobile Investment Co. Ltd. in Hangzhou; Managing Director for

Passion towards Porsche…

It has been a rewarding journey of 17 years with the Porsche family. The tasks and challenges I have faced, especially in a promising market like China, undoubtedly honed my skills further.

The knowledge and experiences gained from my roles across verticals of retail business comprising Sales, Network Development, Marketing & Communications, as well as, After Sales, in China & Serbia will aid in implementing strategies to suit the Indian market.

Porsche in Serbia; and now, in my new title as Brand Director of Porsche India, the fundamental factor that keeps me going is my resolution to break the norms and do justice to each job role with equal enthusiasm and fervor.

Over the years, I have had the opportunity to learn from some of the smartest people in the business, at

both, the wholesale and retail fronts.

I keep counting my blessings, but I also continue to push myself to become better (both professionally and as a family man), because I believe happiness is not a matter of luck, but a consequence of the right decisions and continued passion towards your purpose.

A new era for Porsche India Regardless of being told that India’s evolving infrastructure might not be fitting for a sports car like Porsche, I believe that the country has an abundance of space where one can take their Porsche for a spin. I have also observed that Indian Porsche owners are discerning and willing to experiment, they drive their supercars on racetracks and for quick weekend getaways too! As a result, I do see this country having the potential to cultivate a niche for luxury cars.

During my years in the automotive sector, I have learned that the key to growing the business is to stay open-minded coupled with a willingness to learn. Our marketplace is constantly evolving, and it is crucial to adapt quickly.

An incredibly exciting expedition awaits Porsche India, and our mission is to make it an aspirational brand in the country; keep our extended family- ‘our customers’ at the heart of our business; and most importantly, exhilarate them with an array of superlative, personalized

experiences through various measures. A dedicated online sales channel, engaged dealer network, and a highly motivated Porsche India team is ready to cater and fulfill our patrons’ requirements.

I would like to conclude by sayingowning a Porsche is like having an unusual jewel- rare, invaluable, and timeless!

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FOURTH GENERATION OCTAVIA FORAYS INTO THE INDIAN MARKET

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n 10th June 2021, ŠKODA AUTO India launched the all-new OCTAVIA at an attractive ex-showroom price starting at INR 25.99 lacs nationwide, taking forward the 'One Nation. One Price.' philosophy. The OCTAVIA marked the beginning of ŠKODA AUTO's model offensive campaign for India. The fourth generation, with its timeless design, exquisite interiors, class-leading safety, and intelligent connectivity features further ups the ante.

The first unit of the all-new ŠKODA OCTAVIA rolled out of the Aurangabad production facility in the month of April 2021. However, the second wave of the ongoing pandemic delayed the market launch of the all-new Octavia.

Introduced in 2001, the OCTAVIA marked ŠKODA AUTO's entry into the Indian subcontinent and the popular executive sedan segment. The previous generations of the ŠKODA OCTAVIA stood out for their dynamic performance, superior build quality, enhanced safety and European

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craftsmanship. The latest ŠKODA offering builds on the OCTAVIA's strong legacy taking technology, features and the overall luxury quotient to the next level.

The Start of Production (SoP) event at the Aurangabad facility was attended by Gurpratap Boparai, Managing Director, SAVW; Mojmir Hajek, Technical Director; and Jan Frydrych, Executive Director, HR and Admin who also applauded the efforts of the Aurangabad team for their contribution in getting this beauty off the production line.

The all-new OCTAVIA has been completely redeveloped. It boasts of a new design, which now demonstrates a more powerful and alpha characteristics. Each and every body panel of the new generation OCTAVIA is new, it does not share anything with its predecessor. The body design not only sharpens the all-new ŠKODA OCTAVIA's visual appearance but also enables excellent aerodynamics. The all-new OCTAVIA is 4,689 mm long, 1,469 mm tall, and 1,829 mm wide and comes with a wheelbase of 2,680 mm.

The all-new OCTAVIA has been completely redeveloped.

It boasts of a new design, which now demonstrates a more powerful and alpha characteristics

Working Towards Carbon Neutrality Goals

GREEN LOGISTICS

INAUGURATION OF CNG TRUCKS

The Logistics Region India team plans to introduce four more CNG Trucks by the end of Year 2021.

With the implementation of each CNG truck, we will be able to save around 30 tons of CO2 each year thus moving towards our goal of Carbon Neutrality by the year 2025” with ‘Green Future’ and ‘ Go To Zero’ initiatives.

FORCE

The Journey

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he project began with benchmarking various inbound and outbound processes currently running across the Pune facility. We found the JIT/JIS process suitable for implementing this project as the supplier distance falls within a 60 km radius and the number of trips per

day is also high. During the pilot phase, the Logistics Region India team implemented this with one truck initially and has a plan to scale it up in the near future.

We, at SAVW, live by the ethos of our group essentials and deeply

understand our responsibilities towards the environment. Under the Green Future cluster of the FORCE Program, the team recently inaugurated one CNG truck at Chakan Pune facility. The CNG Vehicle implementation idea was initiated by Devojyoti Banerjee (JIT/JIS

Coordinator) and mentored by Miroslav Mazal (Head of the Department - Logistics Planning) deeming various environmental and energy benefits. SAVW Pune facility became the first of its kind implementation across the Chakan Industrial Area to implement CNG trucks for JIT/JIS processes.

Why CNG? Compressed natural gas (CNG) is one of the cleanest burning transportation fuel available today. CNG burns cleaner than petroleum-based products because of its lower carbon content.

CNG produces the fewest emissions of all other fuels and contains significantly less pollutants than conventional liquid fuels. CNG represents almost a 20% -30% savings over conventional products, such as petrol and diesel fuel.

In a very competitive economy, there is no better time to look for alternative ways to fuel our vehicles.

If you wish to know more about the project, please reach out to Nikhil Patil or Devojyoti Banerjee from the Logistics Region India department.

BUILDING CRITICAL SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

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ailing from Hyderabad, but settled in Bombay for the past three decades, I hold a Bachelors of Commerce and an MBA in Human Resources. My professional experience spans fifteen years across a gamut of Human Resource responsibilities, and nine of those were with the Volkswagen Group. Prior to that, I headed the HR of the analytics unit at Citi, and subsequently moved to BCG to handle their talent acquisition and employer branding requirements.

My vision for the company is to embody the best HR practices and take it to the top three automotive companies listed on Great Place To Work (GPTW). To support that vision, my roadmap includes adopting innovative recruiting techniques, improved diversity practices, and building critical skills and competencies, including digitization, succession planning, and a strong leadership pipeline. I also aim to establish a stronger sense of psychological safety to encourage

everyone to put their best self forward and feel confident and empowered to freely contribute to the organization.

A customized approach that I’d like to bring is to invite top leadership to actively participate. I strongly believe that to include exclusivity and bring out a sense of belongingness for the employees, individual leaders need to buy into the value of the conceptemotionally and intellectually.

Individuals across hierarchies must understand their role in forging a strong culture and I intend to bring all hands on deck to achieve that objective.

To further automate the idea of inclusion, we, as a company must recognize that employee experience continues well after the offer letter is handed out. To hire, retain, and nurture the best talent, we must create a stronger end-to-end employee experience, for which we may have to scrutinize the existing practices and make changes wherever necessary.

When it comes to digitization, we are currently working on few areas, such as the SAP SuccessFactors 8 Modules implementation is under process; making office e-forms paperless; introducing AI HR chat bots; introducing robotic process automation, face scanning devices, and e-shop floor are the new KPIs; and digitizing stationery, such as business cards, signatures, employee files, etc. With these as staring points, we’d be able to digitize and automate numerous processes.

time with my friends and family.

Additionally, a cause that’s close to my heart is animal welfare.

While the aforementioned information summarizes my professional strengths and roadmaps, on a personal front, I spend my leisure time traveling, watching movies, and spending quality

Sarma Chillara Group Head Human Resources & Administration

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PRIORITIZING PEOPLE AMIDST THE PANDEMIC: SAVW ANNOUNCES A HOST OF EMPLOYEE BENEFITS SAVW kicked off another line of its employee-centric initiatives and vaccinated 95% of eligible employees and their family members at its free of cost, on-site vaccination drive that started on 30th May, 2021.

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he company tied up with Apollo, Aditya Birla, General Hospital Aurangabad, and Columbia Asia hospitals to administer the COVISHIELD vaccine to its staff at the vaccination centres set up at Pune, Aurangabad, Mumbai and Gurgaon. The vaccination drive was also later held at the Bangalore and Mumbai offices on 10th and 11th of June respectively.

Support during difficult times SAVW has kick-started numerous initiatives to ensure the wellbeing of our people. It includes 14-day special COVID leaves and an additional seven-day special leave in case of recurrence of infection. The pandemic has been difficult on all of us, more so for the ones who lost their loved ones to the infection. In line with the 2030 strategy roadmap, the HR department is working on three key pillars – capability building, corporate working culture, and transformation of HR. Working towards these long-term goals, the management at SAVW rolled out new benefits to help colleagues during such times.

SAVWIPL has always prioritized the health of its employees and community service.

Vaccination so far…

More than seven thousand and eight hundred vaccine doses have been administered till date to SAVW Group employees, their families, as well as third-party employees. In line with standard protocols, employees were asked to register online through the Co-WIN App or website for the shot.

While the company increased employee’s term insurance policy coverage, it also announced that in the unfortunate event of an employee’s death due to COVID-19, SAVWIPL will provide monetary compensation, where it will pay six-month’s worth of salary to the employee’s family, in addition to Rs. 1 lakh to support the education of two of his/her children till senior secondary level. These benefits will not be limited to the current times but will be a part of the employee benefit schemes going forward as well.

The vaccination drive in Aurangabad kicked off on the 2nd June in the presence of the different Heads of the Departments and the Union President.

The activity started with the traditional lamp lighting by C P Tripathi – Chairman, Kamalnayan Bajaj Hospital, Uma Rao – Plant Head at Aurangabad, Prakash Tayde – Union President and Sheelvant Nagaraj from the Quality Department.

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Responsibility towards Society Among its community initiatives, SAVW donated twenty fowler beds along with 5 oxygen concentrators and sanitization equipment to government hospitals in Aurangabad and they are also working towards donation of a mobile medical van to the Karanjvihire Public Health Centre for uninterrupted transportation services of patients and caregivers.

Staying true to our Group Essentials and realizing our responsibility towards the society, employees at SAVW raised INR 1.2 Cr by contributing their one-day salary, which has been utilized in sourcing 20 oxygen concentrators that will be available for employees and their families in Pune, Mumbai and Aurangabad, Bengaluru, and Gurgaon NCR on request basis.

Wave 1 Winners

Wave 2 Winners

KVP AWARDS 2020

BRINGING IN A CULTURE OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

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he continuous improvement process is an ongoing effort to better our products, services and processes. These efforts can culminate into incremental improvements over time or a breakthrough improvement all at once.

Delivery processes are constantly evaluated and improved in light of their efficiency, effectiveness, and flexibility.

Quick Kaizen Aurangabad

KVP at SAVW With the objective to bring out continuous improvement in our processes, KVP Workshops (Kontinuierlicher Verbesserungsprozess) were initiated at SAVW in 2012 across direct and indirect areas. These workshops are aimed at realizing the group’s objectives and strategies.

In order to further encourage employees to think out of the box and to inculcate the culture of Continuous Improvement, the PS & IE department rolled out a competition in the year 2018, wherein colleagues from both direct and indirect areas were given an opportunity to participate and bring in improvements in their respective fields of operation.

The New Normal The Best KVP event witnessed its 3rd edition this year. Keeping in mind the ongoing pandemic and ensuring the wellbeing of our colleagues, the event for this year was conducted digitally via SKYPE.

Quick Kaizen Pune

The participating teams were quick to adapt to the new normal and enthusiastically presented their ideas and delivered their best. Similarly, the jury also adapted to a digital platform and evaluated the projects brilliantly.

The top 5 teams, each from direct and indirect areas, presented their best workshops aimed at realizing and complementing the FORCE Program objectives like Value Addition, Capacities, Customer Oriented Quality, Competitive Cost Structure, Ramp-up Challenges and Green Future Environment.

Three top ideas (2 from Pune and 1 from Aurangabad) were selected as winners and awarded with individual certificates, a trophy, and a bicycle.

The Best KVP and Quick Kaizen winners took home trophies, certificates and ŠKODA Auto Volkswagen India branded gifts.

Introduced in 2020, the Quick Kaizen category saw more than 5,000 improvements from the direct areas of Pune and Aurangabad facilities. Top 12 Quick Kaizens (9 from Pune and 3 from Aurangabad) were shortlisted to compete in the event.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS! The top 3 teams from the direct and indirect areas were:

Direct Area Assembly Shop 1st Runner Up - Paint Shop 2nd Runner Up - Body Shop

Indirect Area HR 1st Runner Up - Quality 2nd Runner Up - Paint Shop

Quick Kaizen Pilot Hall - Dipak Kardak Finish Center - Sunil Mhaisdhune Aurangabad - Krishna Shewale

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ENVIRONMENT DAY CELEBRATION

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e, at SAVW, take a lot of pride in our Group Essentials and Responsibility towards Environment and Society is one of them. The Environment Day 2021 was celebrated across SAVW facilities, at Pune and Aurangabad, under the theme of ‘Eco System Restoration’. Keeping in mind our group and brand targets, activities were aligned for our internal and external stakeholders to promote environmental awareness, environmental compliances management system, and initiatives towards biodiversity conservation and enhancement.

At the SAVW Pune facility, Environment Day was celebrated with gusto across all production areas.

The range of activities were planned and executed under the guidance and support of production leaders - Dilip Katkar, Avinash Gosavi, Ravi Naidu and Kedar Aptikar to bring awareness about ecosystem restoration and its impact.

Online Environmental Quiz by CII The online Environmental Quiz was organized by CII and 31 employees from various departments and locations participated in the event. The quiz was conducted over a week, and four participants emerged as winners. The quiz was based on numerous environment and sustainability topics.

Participants and winners from all the areas were felicitated for their participation and performance.

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Cycling their way to work To spread awareness and keep the pollution levels in check, few team members from the Body Shop along with their Head of Department - Avinash Gosavi rode bicycles to office.

Engagement Activities on the Shop Floor Environment coordinators from the Pune facility organized the event, which was graced by the participation of Dr. Jiri Pacak – Vice President, Car Production (Pune), Sanjay Khare – Board Member and Head of Sustainability, Safety and Environment along with various Heads of Department and the Union President.

Following Mr. Khare’s informative session, there was a curtain raiser for technological breakthrough solution for reducing chemicals usage at the RO plant in Paint shop. Amarjeet Parab from Technical Service explained this next-generation product using a miniature 3D model.

The celebrations started with a pledge to contribute towards the environment. While ensuring social distancing, team members from respective shops took the pledge before the start of the morning shift. To further spread awareness, the coordinators distributed saplings and jute bags to discourage the use of plastics in order to move towards a more ecofriendly environment. There were slogan and drawing competitions as well, that also higthlighted the hidden creativity and skills amongst the team members. The engagement activities were a huge success.

Sanjay Khare – Head of Sustainability, Environment and Safety conducted a session on carbon footprint and shared how each one of us can contribute. During the session, the participants were surprised to know the rate at which global warming is increasing and how much our day-to-day activities contribute to carbon emissions.

Introducing Environment Ambassadors

Glimpses of Environment Day Celebration at SAVW Aurangabad

To promote and motivate ecosystem restoration initiatives taken by individuals at personal level and amplify the effects, this year we introduced a campaign to confer the title of the ‘Environment Ambassador’. Their contribution towards the environment was inspiring.

The Environment Day 2021 was enthusiastically celebrated at Aurangabad in presence of Uma Rao – Plant Head, Prakash Tayde – Union President and Head of Departments from Aurangabad facility.

Manohar Kajirnekar from the Body Shop has planted and nurtured 350 trees in the last 3 year with his friends and family.

Sameer Jamsudkar from the Assembly Shop has effectively used solar energy by mounting solar panels at his house to power various electric appliances like bulbs, fans etc.

Gajanan Gundewar from Technical Services has implemented a rainwater harvesting plant at his home.

Additionally, he has also inspired five more people from his neighborhood to replicate the same.

20 Nests prepared by in-house Logistics Department using waste wood

Ved Jahagirdar from External Affairs and CSR and Abhay Kulkarni from the Medical Team planting a tree at Oxygen Park

Environment Oath - Delivered by Deepak Jammuwal - To all Head of Departments

Uma Rao gifted a sapling to a women colleague from Canteen staff and Security Guard

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ŠKODA AUTO HQ SPRINT TO HELP INDIA ŠKODA AUTO recently donated 1 Million EUR in conjunction with the Volkswagen Group to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

This includes material aid, which was delivered to India via two airplanes. The first consignment consisted mainly of medical equipment, such as eight and a half thousand Oxymizer pendant cannulas that can increase blood oxygenation by up to 75%. The second consignment contained an oxygen generator and several hundred oxygen cylinders.

“The humanitarian situation in India continues to concern us. We are in daily contact with our Indian friends and hope that the situation will improve soon,” said Thomas Schäfer, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ŠKODA. Colleagues in India helped to identify the exact kind of help the country needs.

The hunt for the flight ŠKODA’s purchasing and logistics teams worked very hard to find and transport the humanitarian material to the pandemic-stricken region as quickly as possible. “Gurpratap Boparai, Managing Director of ŠKODA AUTO Volkswagen India Private Limited, also took part in the coordination meetings, helping choose the equipment that would be of the greatest benefit to India,” said Zbyněk Ďurovec from the ŠKODA team responsible for the Indian region.

“Due to the ongoing restrictions, organizing air transport was the biggest challenge. We had to get hold of an aircraft that could take an oxygen generator the size of a shipping container. In the end, we got hold of an IL-76 with a rear-loading ramp. But this aircraft needed special permission in India.” says Jiří Kettner, Transport Manager, ŠKODA Logistics.

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“In order to ensure that the flight – which takes around 30 hours including a stopover for refueling – completed its journey without a hitch, the experts had to calculate the generator’s center of gravity so that it was optimally positioned in the aircraft,” added Tomáš Nevole, International Logistics Project Manager at ŠKODA.

The race against time Time was of the essence, but most technologies such as generators or cryogenic tanks currently have a delivery time of at least four months.

Regardless, around ten employees managed to get one of the largest types of mobile oxygen generators – specially adapted for use in India by Primetec – ready for shipment much sooner, in just a matter of weeks! “We managed to get the cylinders delivered just as quickly.

The Indian Red Cross distributed the material in India in line with the local needs.” says Matej Ondrák from the purchasing department.