After 44-day shutdown, Hero MotoCorp to restart production with minimum staff

India's largest two wheeler manufacturer Hero MotoCorp on Monday said it would restart production at three of its factories in India from Wednesday. The company had shut down all the plants in India as well as those in Bangladesh and Colombia on March 22, three days ahead of the mandatory lockdown announced by the government, in the wake of the spread of coronavirus pandemic.

The company said it intends to reopen its factories in Gurgaon, Dharuhera and Haridwar from today before commencing operations in a graded manner from Wednesday. Operations at its global parts centre in Neemrana would also be restarted at the same time.

It has also obtained necessary permissions to restart operations at its other factories in Gujarat and Karnataka but those would be operational only after the entire supply chain network is restored. The company said only essential staff would report to work at these factories as well as its corporate office in Delhi while remaining employees shall continue to work from home.

"We are now ready to hit the ground sprinting as we commence the re-opening of our facilities. The well being of the citizens continues to be our focus and the running of our economic engines is crucial to ensure their health and prosperity. With meticulous planning and enthusiasm, we are set to recommence operations. I am optimistic that business and the economy will begin the trajectory of its gradual recovery from here,"  said Dr. Pawan Munjal Chairman, Hero MotoCorp.

"The health, safety and overall wellbeing of everyone in our large ecosystem has been the top priority for us at Hero MotoCorp. From the early onset of COVID-19, we have been proactive in our Business Continuity plan and this has helped us during the much needed nationwide lockdown. It was our preemptive preparation that has kept us in good stead during these past 40 days."

The decision by the Company comes in the wake of the relaxations put in place by the government on the countrywide lockdown and the necessary permissions granted by the local authorities. It has also prepared a restart manual for employees with key guidelines that include mandatory self declaration of good health and daily monitoring through Arogya Setu or company's inhouse Hero app, wearing masks and protective gear at all time, digital attendance and a total ban on domestic or international travel.

"With the easing of restrictions in several parts of the country, most of the company's extensive customer touch-points, including dealerships, workshops and the secondary network, are expected to open gradually from today onwards," the company said in a statement. "A business restart manual has also been shared with all the dealer partners of the company and they are restarting operations as per the government guidelines, after obtaining the necessary permissions from the local authorities." For the first time ever, Hero along-with the rest of the industry registered zero sales in the domestic market in April 2020.

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