Haryana CM dedicates Maruti Udyog's 3 world class manufacturing facilities set up by SMC

Maruti Udyog Ltd has announced that, Mr. Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Chief Minister of Haryana on February 06, 2007, inaugurated three world-class manufacturing facilities set up by Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) and the Company.

The facilities inaugurated are as follow:

- The Company's fourth car Assembly plant

- A diesel engine and transmission plant, set up under a joint venture of SMC and the Company called Suzuki Powertrain India Ltd (SPIL).

- SMC’s two-wheeler plant in Gurgaon, Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd (SMIPL).

His Excellency Mr. Y Enoki, Ambassador of Japan to India, was also present on the occasion.

Mr. O Suzuki, Chairman and CEO, Suzuki Motor Corporation, had come in from Japan to join the event.

- Commitment to India

SMC and the Company have drawn up an investment plan of Rs 9000 crore in India upto 2010. This includes investment in the fourth car assembly plant, the diesel engine and transmission plant, launch of new models and upgradation of the Company's existing facilities in Gurgaon.

- The Company's fourth car assembly plant

The Company’s fourth car assembly plant, inaugurated on February 06, 2007, started with an initial capacity of 100,000 cars per year. This will be scaled up to 300,000 cars per year. A total investment of Rs 2,500 crore will he made in this car plant by 2010.

The Company's exciting premium compact car, Swift, is being manufactured at this plant.

- In addition, the Company's new export model, expected to be launched in 2008-09, will also be manufactured at this plant.

Accordingly, this plant has been made to suit SMC and the Company's global ambitions, and is among SMC’s best plants worldwide. The new assembly plant is also a key step forward in the Company's goal of achieving annual sales of 1 million cars in India by 2010.

This plant is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities across its various shops. These facilities will help the Company attain high quality and superior productivity, while making operations flexible and environment friendly.

The plant has several in-built systems and mechanisms to ensure that cars being manufactured here are of good quality. There is a high degree of automation and robotic control in the press shop, weld shop and paint shop to carry on manufacturing work with acute precision and high quality. In particular, areas where manual operations are hazardous or unsafe have been equipped with robots.

The plant is designed to be flexible: diverse car models can he made here conveniently owing to automatic tool changers, centralized weld control system and numerical control machines that ensure high quality.

The open lay-out and ergonomic design make work convenient and improve productivity.

Further, the various improvements in productivity and quality, achieved by the Company employees over several years at the Gurgaon plants, have been built into this plant at inception.

The plant meets all current regulations and is ready for regulations that arc expected in the future.

The Company currently operates three fully integrated plants within its campus in Gurgaon. While the three plants have a total installed capacity of 350,000 cars per year, several productivity improvements over the years have enabled the company to manufacture nearly 630,000 cars per year at the Gurgaon facilities.

- Suzuki Powertrain India Ltd’s diesel engine and transmission plant

The diesel engine plant is SMC and the Company's first such facility anywhere in the world.

This state-of-the-art plant is designed to produce world class diesel engine and transmissions for cars.

The plant is under a joint venture Company, called Suzuki Powertrain India Ltd (SPIL) in which SMC holds 70 per cent equity with the rest held by the Company.

This plant would entail an investment of Rs 2500 crores, in phases till 2010. This facility has an initial capacity to manufacture 100,000 diesel engines a year. This is being scaled up to 300,000 engines per year by 2010.

The diesel engines manufactured at this plant will also be exported to SMC Companies across the world.

This facility, too, has a high level of automation, Final inspection of components is done through automatic measuring and marking machines, which leads to a uniform and error free production.

- Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd’s two wheeler facility

Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd (SMIPL) is a subsidiary of SMC and is based in Gurgaon. SMIPL has an annual capacity of 100,000 units. With a rapidly expanding dealer network, comprising around 110 dealers, SMIPL has made quick inroads into the Indian two-wheeler Industry.

SMIPL targets to provide Indian consumers with a refreshing new motorcycling experience in the mass market category (100-125cc) by re-defiring the category. Presently it offers 125cc motorcycles - Heat and Zeus. These have created waves within only a few months of their launch.

The model Heat is targeted towards excessive bike users whereas Zeus is a bike for the young college students and executives who want contemporary styling clubbed with excellent performance. Both Zeus and Heat are equipped with 5-gears and an all- aluminum engine powered with the state-of-the art XTP (Extra Torque Performance) technology. They offer impressive mileage figures of over 65 km/lit.

- Other facilities on campus

Both the Company's fourth car plant and SPIL’s diesel and transmission facility are located within the same campus in Manesar. This campus extends over 600 acres.

The campus would also have, for the first time in the Indian automobile industry, a Suppliers’ Park.

In addition, state-of-the-art R&D facilities will come up within this campus. It also has a huge parking facility for around 19500 cars.

- Environment friendly

The facilities at the Manesar campus have been carefully designed and built to be environment friendly.

There is lot of emphasis on maximising utilization of resources. Substantial portions of side walls and roof are translucent - made of poly carbonate material - which lets in light but filters out UV rays and insulates.

The paint shop at the car plant is specially designed to minimise use of energy and water.

The facility has its own captive power plant.

An advanced waste management module has been installed at an investment of Rs 3 crore. This allows waste to be burnt at a very high temperature (900 degrees) to convert harmful chemicals into environment friendly gases.

Nearly 2000 trees have been planted around the periphery of the plant. The facility has its own water management and treatment plants.

- New milestone in a long Journey

SMC and the Company began their operations in India in December 1983. Over theses years these Companies have touched the lives of millions of people.

The Company came into being at a time when the Indian car Industry had stagnated at a volume of 40,000 cars a year. The first car from the Company, Maruti 800, created a buzz across the country. It ruled the market for almost two decades post its launch in 1983.

The Company also set up a network of dealers and workshops across the country before the car was launched. Apart from manufacturing a people’s car, the Company also built the manufacturing capability in the country through a network of auto component makers in India.

When the economy was liberalized and foreign investment allowed into India, the auto component Companies set up and nurtured by the Company became the foundation for global car Companies as well. They found an accomplished and experienced auto component industry, which encouraged them, to invest in India.

The manufacturing facility at Manesar is in tune with the government’s vision to make India a global manufacturing hub for small cars. In addition, the diesel engine and transmission facility, and the two wheeler plant, are further evidence of SMC and the Company’s enhanced commitment to India.

Source : Equity Bulls

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