Mercedes Benz India to resume production from today
After being shutdown for almost a month and a half, Mercedes Benz India will finally restart operations, although on a small scale.
Since the 24th of March, India has been under a state of lockdown to battle the Coronavirus pandemic. While this measure has assisted in keeping the general cases of Covid 19 low, industries throughout the country have suffered the brunt, and are propelling into losses. Initially, the lockdown was from March and was to last until the 15th of April after which the lockdown would continue, in a more relaxed fashion.
Due to cases continuing to surge, the Government did not relax the lockdown even after the 15th of April, thereby putting the Auto Industry into a corner where they kept taking blows. Amongst the industries, the industry who has suffered the most is the Auto Industry and this is no surprise as they have been suffering for almost a year due to the BS4-BS6 transition, along with the economic slowdown. To survive financially, many automakers have had to lay off thousands of employees, and this is a cruel yet required step.
In spite of their current predicament, a few players of the auto industry instead of lamenting about their state, they rose up and supported the people of the country, and one of those key players is Mercedes Benz. After a long hiatus, Mercedes Benz is set to finally open their Chakan manufacturing plant, in a staggered manner.
Mercedes India was able to do so thanks to the Government of Maharashtra who has asked a few of the industries to resume operations. This step of the Government would help begin the recovery phase, but after taking in the recent spike of cases in account, specifically in Maharashtra, it makes me ask, is this the really the right step, must we open up the economy knowing fully well that it might endanger the citizens of the country?
As Mercedes is just about beginning to start functioning again, only a selected number of employees will be joining back. These employees are the ones whose role is to help production be restarted within the factories and Mercedes Benz India assures the country that they are taking all the required precautions to keep the staff safe.
Furthermore, the staff will be following all the guidelines provided by the State Government and Mercedes India has gone on to even state that the health and well being of their employees is paramount. Other employees who can work from home are doing so remotely. A few Mercedes dealerships in Kerala, Surat and Bangalore have also been opened up.
Much like Tata and Morris Garages, Mercedes Benz India has also established an online platform via which customers can complete the buying procedure without even extending their foot beyond the comfort of their home.
This online platform is powered by Roadster.com, and thanks to them, using the online platform feels incredibly easy, and while be so, the website makes sure that the customer has all the information they required. Whether it is the specifications, on road price, VIN number, availability of model etc, the online platform does it all. In times like these, sales are near 0, but such online portals can help gather a few sales, and I am sure Mercedes Benz will accept these sales with both arms.
