Renault-Nissan to halt third shift at Chennai production unit

No job losses as all permanent on-roll employees will keep their jobs even as one shift is halted

Automobile company Renault-Nissan has decided to halt one of the three work shifts at its production facility near Chennai. The plant will run on two shifts from the second week of December, instead of three earlier. However,  all permanent, on-roll employees will get to keep their jobs.

The third shift had been introduced to meet the high number of bookings when the Renault Kwid and Datsun redi-GO had been launched.

The demand for the cars remains strong but waiting time has successfully been brought down. In addition, the plant operations have been optimised to maximise the production in two shifts.

"At Renault Nissan Automotive India Private Limited (RNAIPL), we are proud to play our part in 'Make in India'," said Colin MacDonald, managing director of RNAIPL. “In making this necessary change, we are protecting the jobs of permanent, on-roll employees who will all be reassigned other duties within the plant. There is a bright future ahead as we develop RNAIPL into an even more significant passenger car manufacturing hub for the Africa, Middle East and India region, and beyond.”

The Renault-Nissan Alliance has invested significantly in India. The RNAIPL plant has an annual capacity of up to 480,000 units. Alliance operations in India support 40,000 jobs, directly and indirectly, in the supply chain and dealerships.