Honda two-wheelers to resume production from May 25

• Honda to resume manufacturing from May 25 in phases

• First plant to restart operations will be the one in Narsapur, Karnataka

• On the retail front, 60 percent of Honda dealerships have started sales and services

With state governments across the country gradually giving companies clearance to restart manufacturing operations, OEMs and suppliers are beginning to reopen shuttered plants with due diligence given to safety. Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) has announced that its production operations will resume at all its four plants in two phases. The two-wheeler OEM has a total manufacturing capacity of 6.4 million units as under:

Plant 1: Manesar (Haryana) - 1.6 million units

Plant 2: Tapukara (Rajasthan) - 1.2 million units

Plant 3: Kolar (Karnataka) - 2.4 million units

Plant 4: Vithalapur (Gujarat) - 1.2 million units

The company has confirmed that production at its biggest plant in Narsapur, Karnataka, will resume in a phased manner starting May 25, 2020. This will be followed by the other three plants from the first week of June. Honda adds that its "suppliers are now in advanced stages of resuming production" and that "100 percent of Honda’s 300+ supplier plants too have received the necessary approvals to resume their operations."

Meanwhile, on the retail front, over 60 percent of Honda dealers have resumed sales and service operations.

A sharp focus on safety

Like many other Indian OEMs, HMSI has also issued a comprehensive 'Operations Resumption' manual in addition to the applicable Central and State Government guidelines. This is applicable not only to Honda’s manufacturing plants but also its entire ecosystem including suppliers, logistic partners, dealerships, and service centres across India.

The guidelines for all Honda plants extensively mandate safety precautions, training and awareness modules, transport guidelines, strict social-distancing measures and revised SOP for quality checks. Additionally, Honda will also provide a COVID-19 health insurance cover for all permanent and contractual employees.