After a feeble beginning on Tuesday, Maruti Suzuki expects to hit its initial production target of 150 cars a day at the troubled Manesar car factory on Wednesday, the second day of the plant restart.
The Manesar facility re-opened on Tuesday with about 100 workers and an output of 70-80 units of the Swift and Dzire models, a company official said. The factory was closed for over a month after the violence of July 18 that claimed the life of an official and injured 96 others.
M. M. Singh, COO for Production said, “Today we will be achieving our planned target of 150 cars a day.” At full output before the clash, the Manesar plant made about 1,900 cars a day.
Last week, the company announced that the plant would be re-opened on August 21 (Tuesday), with 300 employees and a daily output of 150 cars. But, it could not meet the target on day one as the number of workers who reported for work was fewer than expected. Many workers stayed away both on fears of being arrested and misinformation on Maruti’s plans.
The company has also fired 500 of its 1,528 permanent workers for alleged involvement in the clash, a move which labour unions have called unlawful. Unions have demanded a CBI probe and have threatened legal proceedings at the High Court level if the workers are not taken back.
While the company has claimed a revenue loss of about Rs 1,400 crore on the production halt, analysts say the number could be closer to Rs 2,000 crore. Meanwhile, the Gurgaon Police has arrested 143 workers as part of its ongoing investigations into the incident.
Suzuki Chairman arriving in Delhi
Osamu Suzuki, Chairman of Suzuki Motor Corp, Maruti’s Japanese parent, is also reaching Delhi on Wednesday evening.
Suzuki, who will be here for the Maruti AGM on August 28, will first meet Haryana Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, followed by Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi. He will visit both the Gurgaon and Manesar production facilities with the company management in a move to reassure employees.