German truck and bus marker Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) has announced the resumption of operations at its Oragadam manufacturing complex from Thursday in a phased approach that prioritises the safety of all stakeholders.
The company is ramping up gradually with a minimum workforce of essential employees to start with, which will be followed by a planned move to full capacity as and when the lockdown ends.
Dealerships across the country have started reopening as local restrictions ease, ensuring BharatBenz customers have access to the free service and warranty extensions the company began offering at the start of the crisis.
DICV was able to restart operations less than 24 hours after receiving permission from the local authorities, according to a statement.
“DICV’s number one priority is the health and safety of our stakeholders, from our employees and customers to our dealers and suppliers,” Satyakam Arya, Managing Director & CEO, DICV, said.
“Being part of the Daimler global network allowed us to see the implications of Covid-19 well before the lockdown was announced here in India. We immediately initiated a Crisis Management Team (CMT) to steer us safely through this difficult situation,” added Arya.
The CMT consists of representatives from across the organisation, and holds virtual meetings with DICV’s top executives daily.
The CMT has initiated hundreds of health, safety and sanitisation measures over the last few months, ranging from mass cleaning of DICV’s 400-acre Oragadam plant to renovations of facilities designed to ensure social distancing norms are followed.
It has also taken charge of tracking the health and safety of the company’s employees numbering over 4,000, as well as overseeing the company’s extensive CSR contributions.
“Every single person in the entire automotive supply chain must work together to avoid infection. That is why it is called a ‘chain’, because every link is vital,” said Arya.