Augmenting the tireless efforts by the Government authorities across departments such as Municipal organisations, healthcare institutions, and police to fight the battle against the deadly Coronavirus, the industry has entered the fray with various measures to ward off the risk of virus spread.
Among the industries that made early announcements from is the Mahindra & Mahindra Group. M&M has announced pre-emptive measures at all their offices and manufacturing locations in India, to ensure employee safety and contain the spread of the CoronaVirus (Covid-19). “In light of heightened concern on the spread of CoronaVirus in the State of Maharashtra, we have decided to suspend the manufacturing operations at our Nagpur Plant with immediate effect and Chakan (Pune) and Kandivali (Mumbai) from Monday night onwards…….,” a statement from the Group said. The statement said M&M has already implemented Work from Home across all its offices across the country. “Several other measures including highest standards of hygiene and promoting social distancing at all the offices and Manufacturing locations across the country have been taken,” the statement said.
Another automotive sector player TVS Motor Company too has decided to halt all manufacturing operations at its plants in India and Indonesia till further notice. All relevant employees have already been provided with Work from Home facility. The immediate focus is to ensure the safety of employees, their families, and the extended enterprise including suppliers, dealers and our customers, the company said in a communication to Sunshine Pune. “TVS Motor Company has assured that it will protect jobs and salaries in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company also assured that, they would work closely with their dealers and suppliers and extend all support to them in the face of this unexpected difficulty,” the communication said.
Honda Cars India Limited has temporarily suspended production operations at its manufacturing plants in Greater Noida and Tapukara in view of escalating COVID-19 situation. These plants will remain closed from 23 Mar till 31 Mar 2020. HCIL Associates working in corporate offices, including zonal and regional locations for all functions will primarily work from home, except for those involved in running essential services that require physical presence or minimal staffing for a few critical activities, the company said in a statement.
Gaku Nakanishi, President & CEO, Honda Cars India said in the statement, “In these trying times, health, safety, and well-being of our associates, their families, and community at large is of utmost importance. We standby them during this tough phase and urge everyone to take all possible measures to prevent COVID-19 from spreading further. Social distancing is the need of the hour. We can overcome the pandemic if we collectively show restraint, resolution, and responsibility.” The current intention is to restart production on 1 April 2020, however, this will be dependent upon advice from Government / health authorities, and market and supply conditions, HCIL said.
Honda 2Wheelers India has temporarily shut down operations at all manufacturing plants as a precautionary measure against the COVID-19 outburst. The duration of this shut down will depend upon the Government policy. To maintain business continuity and support of all stakeholders, the company has introduced ‘Work from Home’ policy for all its office-based associates, except for those whose physical presence is necessary to run the day-to-day essential services.
