Ola mega-factory Phase-1 production to begin within months
Construction at Ola’s larger than life mega-factory on its 500-acre site has gotten underway earlier this month. In December 2020, Ola had announced a Rs 2400 crore MoU with Tamil Nadu government. Land acquisition was completed in January 2021. With work progressing rapidly, the company intends to start plant ops in the next few months.
With industry and manufacturing processes largely improved at current times, this will be one of the quickest transition times starting from scratch to production. With R&D and data to fall back on, Ola’s plant will be one that’s bound to be closely followed by many a big name in vehicle manufacturing. The transition from being a solely ride-hailing platform to manufacturing would in part be based on data, and projected trends.
For this to come to fruition, an estimated 10 million+ man-hours is planned to aid building the factory in record time. This in turn will help the company becomes operational regard to electric scooter manufacturing at the earliest.
Ola global markets
Ola’s factory development processes focus on sustainability. The green belt in the area is being conserved by preserving and transplanting onsite trees. Plans are afoot to maintain a large forest area within the site. And reuse soil and rocks within the factory. Below is the first look video shared by Ola.
Ola’s mega-factory has an initial capacity of 2M units a year in phase 1. The large-scale operational quest will cater to Indian and international markets. This being Ola’s global manufacturing hub for electric scooter range, and two-wheelers across India and international markets, including Europe, UK, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Australia and New Zealand.
Industry 4.0 principles
Industry 4.0 principles are standard for the factory. This will be powered by Ola’s own proprietary AI Engine and tech stack. Processes will be deeply integrated in all systems. The new manufacturer is expected to create 10,000 jobs.
Once operational, the factory is expected to be India’s most automated. 5,000 robots and automated guided vehicles will be pressed into service when ops are in full capacity. Global partners and suppliers have already been onboarded.
Current preparedness and forward looking approach will aid in sticking to projected operational timelines. Ola will launch its first electric scooters in a few short months.
They will be built around great design, removable battery, high performance and range, and industry first tech features. The scooter has already been recognised with the IHS Markit Innovation award at CES, and the German Design Award.
