Skoda Auto Volkswagen India has resumed production at its Aurangabad production facility and commenced work as a part of the India 2.0 project activities at its Pune facility. The company says all necessary permissions have been received from local authorities and the State government of Maharashtra and a comprehensive set of safety measures have been initiated before resuming manufacturing activities at these facilities.

Both facilities are following a well-defined safety protocol, listing 60 points to ensure the safety of its employees. The ‘Start Safe’ SoP prepared in close collaboration with Medical Practitioners includes a set of comprehensive measures for all areas of operations.

According to Gurpratap Boparai, Managing Director, Skoda Auto Volkswagen India, “The post Covid-19 era will have challenges new and old, however, we need to look ahead with optimism once more. By resuming production, we will be in a better position to react to market demands and consumer needs. Over the past few weeks, we have been working closely with the Government, local administration and our medical team to develop a ‘Safe Production and Safe Office concept’ and implemented the same in our operations.”

The Aurangabad facility has resumed production with reduced manpower in a single shift . The facility will produce the new Superb ahead of its launch scheduled next week and gradually ramp up production to include other models and brands. As port-operations and manpower availability continue to improve, operational efficiency of inbound logistics and parts availability will aid gradual ramp-up to full production capacity and resumption of normal daily operations.

Meanwhile, work has once again begin on the India 2.0 project with developments towards the Start of Production (SoP) of its SUVs based on the MQB A0 IN platform. These include the upcoming Volkswagen Taigan SUV and the production model SUV based on the Skoda Vision IN concept, both of which were showcased at the Auto Expo 2020.