Bengaluru, Oct 21: Tata Motors, India’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, has taken another significant step in advancing the future-readiness of its Dharwad plant with the inauguration of a new-generation paint shop and the commissioning of new Body-in-White and E-Axle assembly lines. These additions go beyond expanding capacity, it enhances the plant’s manufacturing flexibility and strengthening its ability to produce vehicles across conventional and zero-emission powertrains.
The new facilities were inaugurated by Mr. Girish Wagh, MD & CEO, Tata Motors Ltd. in the presence of Mr. Vishal Badshah, Vice President & Head – Operations and Mr. DP Nambiar, Chief Human Resources Officer.
With women comprising more than 30% of its young, skilled shopfloor workforce, the plant also inaugurated an on-site crèche for employees’ children, reinforcing Tata Motors’ focus on creating an inclusive workplace that enables and supports a diverse workforce.
The Dharwad plant is the first such manufacturing facility in India to achieve ISO 30415 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion validation. The plant operates on 100% renewable electricity and is certified Water Positive and Zero Waste to Landfill, underscoring its focus on sustainable, inclusive and globally competitive manufacturing.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Vishal Badshah, Vice President & Head – Operations, Tata Motors Ltd., said,
“Dharwad has evolved into one of our most versatile manufacturing facilities, producing conventional and zero-emission vehicles on the same campus. The new capabilities inaugurated today further strengthen the plant with cleaner, more efficient and digitally enabled manufacturing, while enhancing the flexibility to respond to evolving product and customer requirements. This progress is underpinned by our young, skilled and diverse workforce. We thank the Government of Karnataka for its continued support and remain committed to contributing to the state’s industrial growth through sustainable and advanced manufacturing.”
Speaking on the new manufacturing capabilities, Mr. Vijay Battu, Senior General Manager and Plant Head – Dharwad, Tata Motors Ltd, said,
“The commissioning of the new paint shop, BIW and E-Axle assembly lines marks significant technical and operational advancement for the Dharwad plant. With its modular design and scalable infrastructure, the new paint shop gives us greater agility to adapt to evolving manufacturing requirements and respond rapidly to changing business and customer needs. These capabilities also enable us to further elevate the benchmarks for quality, efficiency and sustainability.”
Since rolling out its first commercial vehicle in 2012, the Dharwad plant has evolved from a single-product facility into a versatile, multi-product manufacturing hub spread across an integrated campus of approximately 650 acres. It manufactures Small Commercial Vehicles; Intermediate, Light and Medium Commercial Vehicles; Heavy Commercial Vehicles; and commercial passenger vehicles across multiple powertrains. The facility also supports a network of MSMEs and suppliers across North Karnataka.