Maruti to shut Gurgaon plant for two days
14 Oct 2011
Auto major, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, hit by labour unrest at its Manesar facility, yesterday said it would shut a separate plant for two days as a strike at two auto-part suppliers owned by its parent had led to a shortage of components.
According to the Suzuki Motor Corp unit, production at its Gurgaon plant would be suspended today and Saturday. Meanwhile, no vehicle has rolled out of Maruti's other factory, in Manesar, since 7 October due to a strike by about 1,500 workers.
The labour unrest and consequent production loss would likely severely impact the company's sales, especially during the ongoing festive season, when making purchases is considered especially auspicious.
It would also add to the waiting period for Maruti's popular Swift hatchback, which received an overwhelming response after the launch of its upgraded version in August.
Workers at its other three factories, Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd, Suzuki Powertrain India Ltd and Suzuki Castings Ltd, have also gone on strike to show solidarity with their peers from Maruti.
Suzuki Powertrain supplies diesel engines and transmission for Maruti's K-series engines used in most of its petrol cars.
According to Maruti, thought its small car M800 and multipurpose vehicles Ecco, Omni and Gypsy were the only four models that did not use a K-series engine, operating the Gurgaon plant only for these models would not be viable.
