Mahindra & Mahindra has reached another milestone by inaugurating its new world class manufacturing facility at Chakan, near Pune. The plant set up over a massive 700 acres of land at an estimated investment of $1 billion is one of the largest green field projects established in India.
The new plant was inaugurated on March 13 by the Maharashtra Chief Minister, Mr. Ashok Chavan, in the presence of Mr. Anand Mahindra, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Mahindra Group, Dr. Pawan Goenka, President of Automotive Sector, M&M Ltd., and other eminent dignitaries.
Mr. Anand Mahindra observed on the occasion: “The Chakan story is characterised by the zeal, passion and commitment to create a factory of the future, a facility which will set new benchmarks in manufacturing excellence. This is clearly evident in its sheer scale and innovative manufacturing processes, which is in line with Mahindra’s vision to emerge as a leading full range player with the ability to compete against the best on the global automotive stage”.
Dr. Pawan Goenka, in his address, said: “Our new state-of-the-art facility at Chakan incorporates a flexible and agile approach to manufacturing which will ensure that it is future ready and able to respond rapidly to changing customer needs. Key focus areas include people, the environment, connected manufacturing and operational excellence. The plant has been envisioned as the hub of innovation and technology for the Mahindra Group, with several new products, including our new SUV and Pik-Up line rolling out from here. The State Government has worked closely with us to enable completion of this plant in a record time span of 22 months”.
The Chakan plant will have an installed capacity of three lakh vehicles and would eventually be scaled up to meet global demand and standards. It will manufacture Mahindra’s range of products from the 0.75-tonne Maxximo to the 49-tonne Mahindra Navistar truck. The company’s new SUV and Pik-Up range and product line for the US market will also be manufactured at this facility.
The new plant consists of two stages. Stage 1 of the plant which is now being set up on 280 acres, when once fully complete, has a capacity to roll out 200-250 thousand vehicles, altogether consisting of SUVs and pick-up trucks, and another 50 thousand units of medium and heavy trucks. Also the company’s product line for the US market is expected to be manufactured from this facility.
The plant started production of the mini truck, Maxximo, with the Chief Minister rolling out the first vehicle. The company expects the start of production of its medium and heavy trucks, Navistar, within a few days.
The new plant currently has two paint shops and has space assigned for a third one. The shop has been design-protected for water base painting which is an environmental requirement of the future. The salient features of the paint shop include a combined cab and cargo unit on common skid for pre-treatment electro deposition and top coat, as against separate units. Elevated painting robots ensure better reach for the rocker panel, lower portion of the vehicle body and dirt control.
Use of advanced robotic technology ensures a substantial reduction of volatile organic compounds, and the percentage of wastage of raw materials used is minimized. The company plans to set new benchmarks in the industry with this new world class manufacturing plant.
A single conveyer belt with the ability to assemble a wide range of gear box, which are deployed in various Mahindra products, and with a production capacity of 240K per year, has definitely taken Mahindra Chakan to new heights of industrial infrastructure. The plant also boasts of several eco-friendly initiatives which not only mitigate environmental degradation but also reduce waste. Solar energy and waste heat from the oven exhaust are used to reduce consumption of LPG and electricity in the paint shop, leading to reduction of 3,500 tonnes of carbondioxide per annum at full volume.
The use of solar energy is a new concept in the Indian automobile industry, and the plant covering 700 acres has also allotted space for more than 10 component providers to set up their units. This in turn ensures cost reduction and better logistics performance to the company.
The new plant was inaugurated on March 13 by the Maharashtra Chief Minister, Mr. Ashok Chavan, in the presence of Mr. Anand Mahindra, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Mahindra Group, Dr. Pawan Goenka, President of Automotive Sector, M&M Ltd., and other eminent dignitaries.
Mr. Anand Mahindra observed on the occasion: “The Chakan story is characterised by the zeal, passion and commitment to create a factory of the future, a facility which will set new benchmarks in manufacturing excellence. This is clearly evident in its sheer scale and innovative manufacturing processes, which is in line with Mahindra’s vision to emerge as a leading full range player with the ability to compete against the best on the global automotive stage”.
Dr. Pawan Goenka, in his address, said: “Our new state-of-the-art facility at Chakan incorporates a flexible and agile approach to manufacturing which will ensure that it is future ready and able to respond rapidly to changing customer needs. Key focus areas include people, the environment, connected manufacturing and operational excellence. The plant has been envisioned as the hub of innovation and technology for the Mahindra Group, with several new products, including our new SUV and Pik-Up line rolling out from here. The State Government has worked closely with us to enable completion of this plant in a record time span of 22 months”.The Chakan plant will have an installed capacity of three lakh vehicles and would eventually be scaled up to meet global demand and standards. It will manufacture Mahindra’s range of products from the 0.75-tonne Maxximo to the 49-tonne Mahindra Navistar truck. The company’s new SUV and Pik-Up range and product line for the US market will also be manufactured at this facility.
The new plant consists of two stages. Stage 1 of the plant which is now being set up on 280 acres, when once fully complete, has a capacity to roll out 200-250 thousand vehicles, altogether consisting of SUVs and pick-up trucks, and another 50 thousand units of medium and heavy trucks. Also the company’s product line for the US market is expected to be manufactured from this facility.
The plant started production of the mini truck, Maxximo, with the Chief Minister rolling out the first vehicle. The company expects the start of production of its medium and heavy trucks, Navistar, within a few days.
The new plant currently has two paint shops and has space assigned for a third one. The shop has been design-protected for water base painting which is an environmental requirement of the future. The salient features of the paint shop include a combined cab and cargo unit on common skid for pre-treatment electro deposition and top coat, as against separate units. Elevated painting robots ensure better reach for the rocker panel, lower portion of the vehicle body and dirt control.Use of advanced robotic technology ensures a substantial reduction of volatile organic compounds, and the percentage of wastage of raw materials used is minimized. The company plans to set new benchmarks in the industry with this new world class manufacturing plant.
A single conveyer belt with the ability to assemble a wide range of gear box, which are deployed in various Mahindra products, and with a production capacity of 240K per year, has definitely taken Mahindra Chakan to new heights of industrial infrastructure. The plant also boasts of several eco-friendly initiatives which not only mitigate environmental degradation but also reduce waste. Solar energy and waste heat from the oven exhaust are used to reduce consumption of LPG and electricity in the paint shop, leading to reduction of 3,500 tonnes of carbondioxide per annum at full volume.
The use of solar energy is a new concept in the Indian automobile industry, and the plant covering 700 acres has also allotted space for more than 10 component providers to set up their units. This in turn ensures cost reduction and better logistics performance to the company.Six out of the 10 lots have already been occupied by suppliers, Schuler being one among them.
