Leading bus maker Wrightbus International, which is setting up its bus body manufacturing facility near here, would commence operations early next year, a company official said today.
North Ireland-based Wrightbus has partnered with Daimler India, subsidiary of German commercial vehicle maker Daimler for manufacturing bus body for its Bharat Benz range of buses. The bus body building facility will be part of the new bus plant proposed by Daimler India Commercial Vehicle.
UK Minister for Business, Innovation and Skills, Vince Cable, who was here today, said Wrightbus would establish the plant on the outskirts of Chennai.
"We have another company, Wrightbus from Northern Ireland. They are establishing a plant in the outskirts of Chennai and that is partly for domestic but mainly for exports for South East Asia," Cable, who was on a visit to Chennai, told reporters.
Daimler India claimed bus bodies manufactured from the facility would be superior in terms of technology and reliability meeting its global standards of quality and efficiency.
"We will be doing exclusive bus body manufacturing at the plant for Daimler. It is expected to be fully operational by April 2015," an official from Wrightbus International told PTI.
According to the agreement with Wrightbus, Bharat Benz would supply the chassis to Wrightbus for manufacturing complete buses.
Early this year, Daimler India Commercial vehicle laid the foundation stone for its new bus plant at an investment of Rs 425 crore. The plant would roll out front and rear engined buses for Daimler Group.
The facility would manufacture and assemble buses under Mercedes Benz and BharatBenz brands. The plant spread across 27.91 acre would be only Daimler Truck plant worldwide to manufacture three brands of trucks and buses, as well as engines under one roof.
Daimler India buses would be offered in nine tonnes, 16 tonnes and above 16 tonnes categories in front and rear engine configurations. Initially the plant will have the capacity to roll out 1,500 units which can be scaled up to 4,000 units.
