Maruti Suzuki shuts Haryana plants to divert oxygen for medical need
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Maruti Suzuki will advance its maintenance shutdown period by a month to reroute oxygen consumed by its two Haryana plants for medical needs, the company said in a stock exchange filing.
Parent Suzuki Motor Corporation has also decided to shut its Gujarat plant for the same purpose. Thus, production at all the Suzuki factories will remain suspended during the first week of May.
"As part of the car manufacturing process, Maruti Suzuki uses a small amount of oxygen in its factories while relatively much larger quantities are used by the manufacturers of components. In the current situation, we believe that all available oxygen should be used to save lives. Accordingly, Maruti Suzuki has decided to advance its maintenance shutdown, originally scheduled for June, to 1st to 9th May", the Delhi-based company stated.
Hero MotoCorp, Toyota Kirloskar and MG Motor India have also declared shutdowns at the factories. Suzuki Motorcycle India has reduced the number of shifts from three to one for four days starting April 28. Tata Motors has not stated if it will cut back on production but it has rolled out a 'business agility plan' through which it aims to calibrate and match supplies with retail demand.
The announcement by Maruti Suzuki comes just a day after senior company officials said that its plants are running at full capacity and there were no plans to halt production.
