Ola Electric's Futurefactory to be run entirely by as many as 10,000 women

This will make it the world's largest women-only factory and the only all-women automotive manufacturing facility globally

Ola Electric, the Bengaluru-based ride-hailing start-up’s electric mobility business, said its Futurefactory - coming up on a 500-acre site near Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu - will be run entirely by women

At full capacity, the Futurefactory will employ over 10,000 women, making it the world’s largest women-only factory and the only all-women automotive manufacturing facility in the world.

“We welcomed the first batch this week,” said Bhavish Aggarwal, co-chairman and group chief executive officer, Ola, in a blogpost, adding, “This is the first in a series of initiatives we are undertaking at Ola to create a more inclusive workforce and provide economic opportunities for women across the board."

Ola said it has invested significantly to train and upskill them in core manufacturing skills. They will be responsible for the entire production of every vehicle manufactured at the Futurefactory.

Enabling women with economic opportunities improves not just their lives but that of their families and indeed the whole community, he said, tweeting: "Aatmanirbhar Bharat requires Aatmanirbhar women!"

In fact, Ola said studies show that just providing women parity in the labour workforce can grow India’s gross domestic product by 27 per cent.

But this requires active and conscious effort, said Aggarwal, especially in manufacturing, where women participation remains the lowest at just 12 per cent. For India to be the world’s manufacturing hub, Aggarwal said one must prioritise upskilling and generate jobs for women.

"Ola Futurefactory is one step towards our vision of a world with clean mobility, a carbon-negative footprint, and an inclusive workforce. We will continue to take steps that get us closer to achieving each of these across Ola and encourage others to join us, so that we can accelerate India’s progress,” said Aggarwal.

Ola had announced in December 2020 that it would be investing Rs 2,400 crore for setting up Phase 1 of the factory. At full capacity of 10-million vehicles annually, it will be the world’s largest two-wheeler factory and will handle 15 per cent of world capacity.

It will have an initial capacity of 2 million units per year in Phase 1 and also serve as the company’s global manufacturing hub for its range of electric-powered scooters and two-wheelers across India and international markets, including the European Union nations, the UK, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Australia, and New Zealand.