Tom Chackalackal, Executive Director, Manufacturing at Ford’s Chennai Vehicle and Engine Assembly Plant, has been confirmed as a speaker in Session 3 on Day 2: Passenger Car at Automotive World’s Megatrends India ’14, taking place on 25-26 February.
Assuming this role in July 2011, Chackalackal is responsible for managing Ford India’s integrated manufacturing facility in Maraimalai Nagar near Chennai where the Figo, Global Fiesta, Fiesta Classic, Endeavour and All-New EcoSport are produced, and developing a strong and motivated workforce there. Earlier, he was Vice President, Manufacturing (Vehicle Operations) at Ford India.
In his various leadership roles in manufacturing at Ford India, Chackalackal has led the capacity expansion in Ford India from 100,000 to 200,000 vehicles, installation of the flexible petrol and diesel engine production facility, the $ 142 million modernisation to support production of the All-New EcoSport and has overseen the introduction of Ford’s new models like the Ford Figo, the Global Fiesta and the recently launched urban SUV, the All-New EcoSport.
As part of Ford’s ongoing commitment to environmentally-friendly manufacturing practices, the Ford India team under Chackalackal’s leadership has successfully become the first Ford plant to ensure zero solid waste discharge. In 2012, Ford India bagged the first ever Green award from the Government of Tamil Nadu for its green manufacturing practices.
In his prior roles, Chackalackal was APA Group Plant Material Planning manager, responsible for managing the material flow for Ford plants in the region. As a result, Chackalackal has spent extensive time in all of them, working to gain improvements in the business’ material flow strategy.
Since joining Ford India in 1996, Chackalackal has led key functions in manufacturing including Material, Planning and Logistics (MP&L), Paint Shop and Trim, Chassis & Final (TCF).
An Industrial Engineer from College of Engineering Trivandrum, Chackalackal also holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration with distinction from Loyola Institute of Business Administration, Chennai.
Organised by Automotive World, Megatrends India ’14 is a two-day, single-stream conference focusing on Commercial Vehicles and Passenger Cars.
Chackalackal will speak in Session 3 for his presentation is entitled “Flexibility in Manufacturing.”
Other presentations in session 3 confirmed to date include:
- “Evolution of powertrain supply base in India and way forward” by
- Srihari (Sri) Mulgund, Manager – Strategic Consulting, Ricardo India Private Ltd
- “Electronic Security features in passenger vehicles – global trends and Indian outlook” by Markus Pfefferer, General Manager India, Ducker Worldwide
To register for this event, please go to http://megatrendsindia.automotiveworld.com/register/
For further details on this event, please contact the event manager, Amanda James: amanda.james@automotiveworld.com / +44 (0) 292 070 9318
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