Mahindra Logistics helps drive ‘Oxygen on Wheels’ initiative

Mumbai-headquartered Mahindra & Mahindra is doing its bit for the country in the ongoing difficult times. The multi-company group has been active in its social initiatives, be it assembling face shield / masks, deploying its tractors for sanitisation, manufacturing coronavirus-combating aerosol box , or offering free cab services for emergency services among others.

The second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc across the country and the need for timely availability of oxygen has become a huge challenge for hospitals, states and the patients. Yesterday Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra took to Twitter to announce the ‘Oxygen on Wheels’ project that will be led by Mahindra Logistics, a leading 3PL solutions provider in the country.

The Mahindra Group company is partneringwith the administration and local government bodies on this project. With a large fleet of vehicles at its disposal and an integrated command and control center, Mahindra Logistics aims to create a seamless chain of supply of lifesaving oxygen and transport it to the hospitals and medical centres in a way that is safe and reliable.

Under the initiative, Mahindra Logistics’ trucks will connect oxygen producers with hospitals/homes. The company will create an ‘Operations Control Centre’ that will monitor, and will establish a direct-to-consumer model. The project was announced in just 48 hours after a conversation between Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group and Uddhav Thackeray, chief minister of Maharashtra.

“I made a commitment to Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Tuesday (April 27) and in just 48 hours the Mahindra Logistics team launched the program in Pune and Chakan with 20 Boleros. 61 jumbo cylinders have already been delivered to 13 hospitals in urgent need. I’m deeply grateful to the team. The rollout plan includes Mumbai, Thane, Nashik, Nagpur going live with another 50-75 Bolero pickups on the road in the next 48 hours. We have started in Maharashtra but will expand this through the country relying on the support of our trusted dealership network and the assistance of local administrations to succeed,” said Anand Mahindra in his Twitter post. 

According to the company, O2W has been launched in Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Chakan, Nasik and Nagpur with over 100 Mahindra vehicles ferrying oxygen, at the present. Discussions are ongoing
with the civic administration and government departments to extend this free service to other cities as well, most importantly to Delhi, which is facing an acute shortage. Given the overwhelming response in the past 48 hours, extending this initiative to deliver oxygen cylinders directly to patients’ homes is also under consideration.

Talking about the initiative, Anish Shah, MD and CEO, Mahindra Group said, “We are committed to deploying our resources and capabilities innovatively to address the challenge on hand. Oxygen on Wheels meets an urgent need by partnering with local authorities to help save precious lives and reduce the pressure on our healthcare services.”

Tech Mahindra walks the talk too
Mahindra Group companies have joined forces to combact the pandemic. In an earnings call on April 26, Vivek Agarwal, President – BFSI, HLS and Corporate Development, Tech Mahindra said, “Right now for the Covid care setup, we are thinking about 45-50 beds in our office premises, starting with Noida. We have tied up with large hospitals that will bring in the expertise and we will provide space and physical infrastructure. Our intention is to roll out at other large locations across the country to provide care to employees, families and larger societies.”