Lockdown in Aurangabad to impact automakers and suppliers

Vehicle manufacturers and component manufacturing companies located in Aurangabad, Maharashtra are likely to get impacted as the district administration has announced a week-long lockdown beginning  July 10. 

Bajaj Auto, Skoda Auto Volkswagen India, Endurance Technologies and Varroc are some of the leading companies having manufacturing plants in the region. The district of Aurangabad has been amongst the epicentres of Covid19 infection in Maharashtra. The industrial belt has seen about 6,880 positive cases, including 310 deaths until Monday.

Aurangabad has been in the news for the past few days as around 280 workers at Bajaj Auto’s Waluj plant are said to have reported Covid19 positive. The  workers' union has been demanding alternative closure of production units within the plant so as to slow down the infection spread. The range of motorcycles manufactured at this plant includes Discover, Platina, CT 100, Boxer and three-wheelers (RE).  The Waluj facility has been ramping up operations from April 24 onwards, while the  first case was reported on June 6^th.

Ravi Kyran Ramasamy, CHRO at Bajaj Auto had earlier in a statement said that the alternative to shut down operations with ‘no work no pay’ will have a drastic impact on employees and the supply chain. It means that the workers will now have to take a paycut until the lockdown gets lifted. 

The upcoming lockdown will also have an impact on Skoda Auto Volkswagen India, which  resumed production at its Aurangabad production facility on May 22 .