Hero MotoCorp temporarily halts manufacturing due to rising COVID-19 cases
Hero MotoCorp has announced that it will halt operations temporarily at all of its manufacturing facilities across India, including its Global Parts Center (GPC), due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases. The announcement comes even as the nation is battered by the second wave of the pandemic. More than 20 lakh active cases of COVID-19 have been officially recorded. Here are more details.
'Ability to meet consumer demand will not be affected'
Hero MotoCorp said that all necessary maintenance work would be carried out in the manufacturing plants on these shut-down days. "The shutdown will not impact the company's ability to meet the demand, which has been impacted due to localized shut-downs in many states and production loss will be compensated during the remainder of the quarter," the company said in a statement.
Closure will be held between April 22 to May 1
Hero said that all the factories would resume normal operations after this short shutdown period. Depending on the local situation, every plant and GPC will remain closed for four days, in a staggered manner between April 22 to May 1. Meanwhile, its corporate offices are in Work from Home (WFH) mode, and limited employees come to offices on a rotation basis for essential services.
Lockdowns may affect growth of auto industry
Last year, a six-week lockdown led to factory closures and zero sales for the automobile industry. Though the industry is on the path to recovery, restrictions, and lockdowns across states will have an adverse impact on the Indian economy yet again. Experts claim that in FY 21, the Q4 sales results will be better than expected, but the surging pandemic may hit the industry.
These Hero two-wheelers will be launched in the coming days
On a separate note, Hero MotoCorp is expected to launch six two-wheelers in India in the coming days. They include the Xtreme 200R bike and eMaestro scooter in June 2021, Xtreme 160S bike in October 2021, and 450 ADV in November 2021.
