Covid-19: Royal Enfield to shut down manufacturing plants from May 13-16

Mid-sized motorcycle maker Royal Enfield on Wednesday said it has decided to shut down its two manufacturing facilities between May 13-16 in order to safeguard its employees amid the second wave of coronavirus pandemic in the country.

The company, which is a part of Eicher Motors, would utilise the shutdown to undertake maintenance activity at its manufacturing plants.

“In light of the unprecedented situation owing to the spread of COVID-19, and with an objective to prioritise safety and well-being of its personnel, the company has decided to temporarily halt production operations at its manufacturing facilities in Chennai,” Royal Enfield said in a statement.

The company’s manufacturing operations across Thiruvottiyur, Oragadam and Vallam Vadagal facilities will remain shut between May 13 and May 16, 2021, it added.

Given local lockdowns across states and Union Territories impacting retail operations, the company does not foresee any significant impact on ability to cater to demand, Royal Enfield stated.

The company continues to monitor the situation closely and will take appropriate actions as the situation progresses; and in line with the directives being issued by the government and administrative authorities, it added.

Royal Enfield has issued advisories to all dealerships in the country to adhere to local regulations and follow local administrative orders, as may apply, it said.

All other employees across the company offices, including corporate offices in Chennai and Gurgaon continue to work from home, until further notice, it added.

Earlier this week, Yamaha Motor (IYM) announced it would suspend production from May 15-31 at its two plants in the country. On May 9, two-wheeler market leader Hero MotoCorp extended shutdown of its plants across India by another week till May 16 in view of the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the country.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Dear Reader,

Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.

We, however, have a request.

As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.

Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.

Digital Editor