Program Highlights
From the classroom to the shop floor — learning becomes more meaningful when students experience it firsthand.
AKI’s Poona Institute of Management Sciences and Entrepreneurship (PIMSE) organised an Industrial Visit to JCB’s Talegaon facility for the newly inducted First-Year MBA, MBA-IT and MBA-HRD students on 21st September 2026, as part of Orientation Week.
JCB is a globally recognised manufacturer of construction equipment, with a wide range of heavy machinery supporting the construction and infrastructure sectors. Spread across 100 acres, the Talegaon facility manufactures Excavators, Wheeled Loaders, Compactors and Mini Excavators, with products ranging from approximately 1.6 tonnes to 52 tonnes.
The visit gave students an opportunity to experience both the manufacturing and assembly plants located within the same premises and understand how large-scale construction equipment progresses through different stages of production and assembly.
A key learning takeaway was operational efficiency and continuous improvement. Students learned about JCB’s production process, including the fact that a machine is manufactured in approximately 29 minutes, and were introduced to the Kaizen approach of continuous improvement.
Students also observed automation and precision manufacturing, including laser/plasma cutting and robotic welding. They gained an understanding of the importance of cleanliness and precision in hydraulic systems, including the use of a dedicated clean-room environment for hydraulic components before assembly.
Safety remained an integral part of the visit, with mandatory PPE, designated pedestrian pathways and strict safety protocols across production areas. Students also gained insights into the coordination between Production, Quality, Supply Chain and EHS functions.
The industrial visit provided students with a valuable opportunity to connect classroom concepts with real-world manufacturing practices and gain practical exposure to operations, technology, quality, safety and continuous improvement.
PIMSE sincerely thanks JCB, Talegaon, for providing our students with this enriching industrial exposure and an opportunity to learn from a live manufacturing environment.
