Reeling under pressure from a slowdown in the country’s auto market, home-grown major Mahindra & Mahindra today said it will shut down its five manufacturing plants, which produce cars, utility and commercial vehicles, for 3-6 days this month.
“The manufacturing plants of the automotive sector (Nasik, Kandivli, Igatpuri, Zaheerabad and Haridwar) will work partially during the month,” M&M said in a communique to the Bombay Stock Exchange.
Most of these plants would be shut down for around three to six days depending on the market demand of the products manufactured in the respective plants, it added.
“Taking into account the slowdown in demand for the company’s products, it has been decided to align the company’s production plan with the expected demand for the month of December 2008,” M&M said.
The company’s announcement comes days after Pawan Goenka, president, automotive sector, M&M, said that production would always be as per sales and the company would not over-produce unnecessarily to build up inventories at its facilities as well as with the dealers. Goenka had said that along with the domestic market, exports were facing slowdown in every country where M&M was present.
M&M said the ongoing economic slowdown in the automotive industry was mainly on account of inadequate funding and high interest cost.
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The company’s domestic sales in November were down by 41.55 per cent at 10,430 units compared to 17,844 units last year. Falling sales in the domestic market had forced other firms such as Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland to take similar measures. In fact, Tata Motors undertook block closure of its plants in Jamshedpur (thrice), Pune (twice) and Lucknow (once) in November and December, while Ashok Leyland said it would work three days a week at its manufacturing units till the end of this month.
Earlier, another auto maker VE Commercial Vehicles had also reduced its production in line with demand.