OREANDA-NEWS. June 7, 2012. PM Telang, managing director, India operations, Tata Motors, said, “We are very delighted to commence manufacturing operations in Dharwad and further expand our operations in the country. This move is integral to Tata Motors' dominant presence in the commercial vehicles market.”

Launched in May 2011, the Tata Magic IRIS is a four-wheel, 3-4 seater, small passenger carrier — a stylish, safe and comfortable alternative for commuters who depend on three-wheelers. The Tata Ace Zip, also launched in May 2011, is a technologically superior and a smart micro truck with a payload of 600kg for deep-penetration door-to-door goods movement.

Established with an investment of over Rs900 crore, the plant spans across an area of 405 acres. The plant has been constructed as per the norms specified by Indian Green Building Council. The plant has been equipped with state-of-the-art equipment following lean manufacturing principles. It has built-in flexibilities to assemble large numbers and different variants in mixed mode production. The plant has been recommended for ISO 14001 environment management system standard.

The major capital outlay, encompassing civil and plant engineering work for the facility, has been sourced from Europe, the US, South Korea, Japan and best-in-class suppliers from India. The capacity of the plant, to begin with, is 90,000 units per year, to be achieved in phases. Further capacity expansion has also been provided for.

The plant has already directly employed 350 individuals. The recruitment exercise covered about 76 ITIs in Karnataka. Training, skill transfer and development of local workforce is one of the top priorities of Tata Motors. The company’s training processes and facilities in India have been acknowledged as being among the best. Leveraging this expertise through a robust local skill transfer and training programme, Tata Motors is committed to ensuring that skill levels of individuals employed are further enhanced.

Tata Motors has also begun activities towards development of local communities by working on four thrust areas — employability, education, health and environment — making it into a beehive of inclusive growth.