Despite the lockdown, BharatBenz has achieved a major production milestone as its 1000th vehicle rolled off production lines
Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) has announced a major milestone being achieved when its 1000th BSVI heavy-duty truck was rolled out of the company plant in Chennai, India. This is particularly noteworthy as the country was in lockdown mode due to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This was one of over 1,500 BS6 compliant vehicles that were manufactured by the company over the last few months. The milestone vehicle was a 3523R model which will now make its way to one of the company’s 235+ touch points across India prior to going on sale to a customer.
BharatBenz4228 Truck – A Volume Seller
Besides this achievement, BharatBenz has also revealed start of production for an updated 4228 rigid model. This truck has always been a volume seller for BharatBenz. Production has remained on track despite the constraints being faced in view of the update to BS6 norms deadline on 1st April 2020 and the lockdown announced by the Government of India on 24th March 2020. The company owes this to the fact that they have over 80 percent localization rate for BS6 components.
BS4 Stocks Cleared
It was at the end of March 2020 that the company announced that it had cleared the Chennai factory of all BS4 stocks and henceforth all BharatBenz trucks and buses would be 100 percent BS6 compliant. There were only a few BS4 vehicles still left with company dealers. This was particularly noteworthy considering the ongoing slump in the automotive industry and the nationwide lockdown being announced.
Care for Company Suppliers, Customers and Employees
BharatBenz has been offering support to its customers, suppliers, dealers and employees through this coronavirus crisis. The company conducted education and communicative campaigns. Stakeholder groups were issued health and safety manuals and instruction videos besides web based training. BharatBenz has ensured free vehicle checks and sanitization besides free warranty to all customers.
In association with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), BharatBenz also ensured that all drivers affected by the lockdown were provided with food and water, shelter and secure parking along with bathing facilities.
DICV produces and sells 9 to 55 ton trucks and BharatBenz buses in India. These are produced at the company’s state of the art manufacturing unit in Oragadam, Chennai which is spread over an area of 400 acres. It consists of the company headquarters, a test track and R&D and training facilities. It is from this plant that the company caters to domestic demand and exports to over 50 markets in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.
