Inside JSW MG Motor India Halol plant: Women and technology drive EV production

This larger shift is playing out in unexpected corners of India. At Halol, a small town in Gujarat once synonymous with General Motors’ retreat, a different story is being written inside the sprawling plant now run by JSW MG Motor India. It is here that MG is building not just cars but also its credentials as what its management likes to call an “Auto Tech company.” The descriptor is deliberate: at Halol, batteries are as important as body panels, and diversity is as critical as design. Also Read : JSW MG to reduce pricing for SUVs following GST overhaul Making a Battery, Cell by CellIf there is one part of the plant that captures MG’s new narrative, it is the battery assembly line. MG makes two of its EV batteries in-house: the 52.9 kWh pack for the Windsor EV Pro and the compact pack that powers the Comet EV. The Windsor EV Pro’s unit is a dense pack of 98 cells, each rated at 316 volts, designed for a family SUV that can comfortably do intercity runs. By contrast, the Comet’s 36-cell pack embodies minimalism, meant for short city hops. Two different philosophies, two different lifestyles, both taking shape under one roof. The process begins with incoming cells, each subjected to OCB testing to weed out voltage deviations. Those that pass are lined up for the gluing process, foam insulation, and leakage checks. Only then are they scanned and barcoded, ensuring every cell is traceable across its life. The idea here is that the data can be tracked anytime in the system. From here, the journey is part choreography, part precision engineering. Busbars are fixed, laser welding binds connections, wiring harnesses snake through the structure, and voltage-sense welding ensures the pack behaves as one unified organism. At each stage, welds are tested, harnesses checked and errors flagged instantly. Over 85 per cent of the workers in the JSW MG Motor India’s battery pack manufacturing plant are females The battery then enters the charging–discharging cycle. This is not mere topping up but a carefully calibrated process at specific temperatures. Energy consumed in charging is fed back during discharge, minimising waste. Once stabilised at 55 per cent state of charge, the pack is sealed, leak-tested, and moved to quality inspection. What emerges at the end is not just a component but the beating heart of MG’s EV ambitions. “The laser welds define the life of the battery,” explains an engineer. It is this understated precision that underpins MG’s move into local EV manufacturing. Many models, one lineIf the battery line is about depth, the general assembly floor is about breadth. Here, MG does something few manufacturers attempt: building internal combustion cars and EVs on the same line. The Hector family, Astor, ZS EV, Windsor EV, and Windsor EV Pro all roll out from the same conveyor. While the Comet EV and the Gloster are rolled out from the second assembly line.This requires a delicate balancing act between complexity and control. The system begins with what managers call “kitting”, like grocery shopping with a digital assistant. Each car body is scanned, triggering lights in the parts area. Workers simply pick the highlighted parts, ensuring the right kit travels with the right body. Pick-to-light systems and barcode scanners reduce error margins to near zero. Color-coding further distinguishes parts across models. For something as complex as a wiring harness with over 100 possible configurations, this is essential. “The line guides you,” says one associate, gesturing at the manifest sheet taped to her station. “You don’t have to guess.” Also Read : MG e-Hub: Simplifying EV charging, but can it overcome India’s infrastructure challenges? Scheduling, too, is a fine-tuned exercise. Daily production meetings decide whether the line runs 200 Windsors and 100 Hectors or flips the ratio. The system adapts, ensuring resources, painted bodies, and manpower are aligned. The target: 15 jobs per hour, a figure that can be scaled up with change management protocols if demand spikes. The effect is remarkable, a single line capable of flexing between market demand for ICEs and EVs, without compromising safety or quality. Women at the Heart of HalolYet, the real story of Halol is not only about machines. It is about the people, especially the women who power much of this facility. On the battery shop floor, 85 per cent of the 60–65-member team are women. At one stage, it was 100 per cent. Tasks here are not assigned by gender but by rotation, with everyone learning to mount rear axles, fix batteries, or handle wiring harnesses. “We are given work based on talent, not gender,” one worker explained. Over 41 per cent of the total worforce at the JSW MG Motor India manufacturing plant in Halol are females. The openness to opportunity is what drew many of them in. Unlike other factories where women are restricted to “light” work, at Halol they find themselves welding busbars, installing battery packs, or assembling rear axles. One line operator put it plainly: “There is no mandate that muscular work goes only to men. We all share the load.” Safety extends beyond helmets and harnesses. MG runs door-to-door pick-and-drop services, a crucial reassurance for families. Equally important is the workplace culture. Team leaders regularly check in with both male and female members, listening to issues and resolving them. “It is not that because we are more in number, we get special treatment. Everyone is treated equally,” said another worker. Equality here is not rhetorical but practical: the same expectations, the same accountability, the same recognition. The result is visible on the shop floor: regularity, productivity and a sense of shared culture. Supervisors quietly admit that women associates are more consistent with attendance and quick to learn new tasks. “They don’t bunk shifts, and they adapt fast,” said one manager. What began as an experiment has now become embedded practice. The auto tech identityFor MG, these operational details are not just efficiency metrics but part of a broader identity. The company has been deliberate in positioning itself as an “Auto Tech brand”, one that blends cutting-edge engineering with forward-looking values. This explains why battery packs and digital assembly protocols are as central to the Halol story as the cars themselves. It also explains the company’s insistence on weaving gender equality into manufacturing, not as a CSR afterthought but as a structural choice. Biju Balendran, Managing Director (MD), JSW MG Motor India, frames it as a question of relevance. “Whenever a new car is launched, the first question people ask is: what’s new in this?” he says. At Halol, the answer is as likely to be about laser welding or workforce diversity as it is about sunroofs or infotainment and tech like ADAS. Beyond the PlantThe Halol manufacturing plant is also a reflection of MG’s India playbook. With eight cars launched in six years, ranging from the pint-sized Comet to the full-size Gloster, the company has shown range. The Windsor EV and Windsor EV Pro are its most recent bets on electrification, with the latter already finding traction across the country. At Halol, the story goes beyond steel, robots, and conveyor belts. It is about an ecosystem slowly taking shape, one where battery technology, flexible assembly lines, and a workforce that reflects India’s social shifts come together under one roof. The plant is already nudging close to its 1.2 lakh annual capacity, yet the conversation here is less about sheer numbers and more about how to build for the future. Expansion plans are in the works, but what remains constant is Halol’s role as the crucible where MG is trying to blend technology with people and scale with purpose. A new kind of iIndustrial storyIf the 20th century belonged to steel, scale, and standardisation, the 21st may belong to software, cells and social inclusion. At Halol, this future is taking shape, in the hum of laser welders, the glow of pick-to-light systems and the voices of women who explain battery packs with quiet authority. Every factory tells a story, but few manage to mirror the times quite like this one. Get insights into Upcoming Cars In India, Electric Vehicles, Upcoming Bikes in India and cutting-edge technology transforming the automotive landscape. First Published Date: 22 Sept 2025, 12:00 pm IST
Source: hindustantimes.com