Bajaj Auto Resumes Operations At Chakan Plant

Bajaj Auto Limited has resumed operations from its manufacturing facility at Chakan, on the outskirts of Pune. India's largest exporter of two-wheelers has resumed operations at the Chakan plant with a single work shift that begins at 8 am. The company has restarted partial operations at the manufacturing facility after the government eased restrictions related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has hit automotive production hard around the world. Bajaj will slowly start resuming operations to meet existing orders and initial production will be based on inventory.

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The Chakan factory produces motorcycles under the KTM, Husqvarna and Dominar brands, including the newly launched Husqvarna Svartpilen 250 and Vitpilen 250, as well as the Bajaj Dominar 250. A large number of these motorcycles are exported. In fact, Bajaj Auto exported 48 per cent of motorcycles produced across its plants in India in financial year 2020.

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Bajaj is monitoring the status of its vendors as well, which have been shut down following the lockdown announcement. Initial production at the Chakan factory will last till the inventory is available at the factory. For production to continue and be ramped up, vendors supplying components will need to open up and resume operations as well. Bajaj had earlier resumed operations at its Waluj, Aurangabad plant, as well as the Pantnagar facility in Uttarakhand. With India under a countrywide lockdown since March 24, Bajaj Auto, along with a number of auto manufacturers, reported zero sales in the domestic market in April 2020, while exports declined by 80 per cent.