Second wave: M&M advances annual maintenance plant shutdown to May

Utility vehicles major Mahindra & Mahindra on Monday said it has advanced the annual maintenance plant shutdown of its automotive division to this month in the wake of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic across the country.

The maintenance of four working days was originally scheduled for June 2021, M&M said in a regulatory filing.

"Due to the evolving COVID situation in the country, the company has scaled up its efforts to ensure health and safety of its employees, associates and supporting ecosystem," it said.

Accordingly, the company said it has decided to advance the scheduled "maintenance of four working days, in each of its automotive division manufacturing plants, to the month of May 2021, in a staggered manner".

M&M's automotive division has manufacturing units at Chakan, Nashik, Kandivali, Zaheerabad and Haridwar.

"The company continues to work closely with its dealers and suppliers to minimise the impact of disruption in operations due to localised lockdown restrictions in various parts of the country," it said.

Other companies, including Maruti Suzuki, Hero MotoCorp, MG Motor India, Honda MotorCycle and Scooter India (HMSI) and Suzuki Motorcycle India have already announced temporary suspension of manufacturing operations as the devastating second wave of COVID-19 sweeps across the country.