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Ashok Leyland, the flagship company of the Hinduja Group, has begun construction of its bus plant in Andhra Pradesh. The groundbreaking ceremony marked the beginning of work on a Greenfield factory, which will be the first Ashok Leyland plant in the state. The plant will come up in Model Industrial Park, Mallavalli Village in Krishna district, about 40 km from the upcoming capital city of Amaravati.
Part of the upcoming manufacturing hub in Krishna district, the plant will be spread over 75 acres and will have latest technologies to deliver high quality standards. The plant, being set up with an initial investment of around Rs 170 crore, would be able to produce 4,800 buses per annum once complete, and would also have a modern learning centre and an advanced service training centre.
The plant will help improve the skills level of the employable workforce in Andhra Pradesh and will have the potential to employ over 5,000 employees. While it will have the capability to make the entire range of Ashok Leyland buses, the facility will also include an electric vehicle development centre comprising a futuristic conveyor line, pilot assembly line and prototype development. It will be a completely green facility, with rooftop solar panels, LED lighting, battery-operated vehicles for in-plant movement, positive water balance and zero discharge.
Vinod K. Dasari, MD & CEO, Ashok Leyland, said, “This facility will help us stay ahead of the curve by ensuring our readiness towards implementation of the bus body code and to meet the rising demand for ready-to-use, fully-built trucks as well. We will also produce electric vehicles at this plant. The new plant is also strategically located to meet the demands of the Central, East and Southern India markets.”
The plant, which will be developed on a modular model, is expected to be ready within six months of developing the access road to move heavy equipment. "In a short time we have designed various elements of the project and expect to roll out vehicles within six months of having proper road access. This will also give us the capability to double capacity at the same location," he said.
Two other bus plants in India are located at Trichy in Tamil Nadu and Alwar in Rajasthan. The plant is expected to further augment capacity for EV push, he said.
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