Tata Motors today announced opening of its 110 million rand (over Rs 70 crore) commercial vehicles assembly plant at Rosslyn in South Africa to bolster its presence in the market.
"With a comprehensive product portfolio, Tata Motors is now at a stage where it can consolidate its international business in its chosen markets. The assembly plant in South Africa is an expression of that resolve," Tata Motors Group CEO and Managing Director Carl-Peter Forster said in a statement.
Built over a period of 18 months, the plant is spread over an area of 34,500 square metres. The plant is owned by Tata Motors (SA) (Proprietary) Ltd, Tata Motors' joint venture with Tata Africa Holding (Pty) Ltd.
It is capable of assembling semi-knocked down (SKD) kits, light, medium and heavy commercial vehicles ranging from 4 tonnes to 50 tonnes, with an annual capacity of 3,650 units, the statement said.
Commenting on the development Tata Motors India Managing Director PM Telang said: "We are very proud to commence assembly operations in South Africa, which has traditionally been among our focus countries. It is integral to Tata Motors' international business presence and plans."
The entire capital outlay, encompassing civil and plant engineering work for the facility, has been sourced from and carried out by South African suppliers and companies.
The company said the workforce for the new plant would be trained at its existing training centre in Johannesburg.
Tata Motors started exports to South Africa in 1998 with commercial vehicles and exports of passenger vehicles began in 2004.
Currently the company sells over 20 commercial vehicle models and five passenger vehicle models in South Africa.
The company has so far exported over 32,000 commercial vehicles and 31,000 passenger vehicles to the country, the statement added.
Tata Motors' vehicles are available across 85 dealerships, through Accordian Investments, the distributor for light commercial vehicles and passenger vehicles, and Tata Automobile Corporation SA, the distributor for medium and heavy commercial vehicles.
