Tata Marcopolo Motor Ltd is contemplating to establish a global bus design centre as part of its expansion project. The company is also planning to invest `160 crore more at its Dharwad unit.
Addressing mediapersons on the sidelines of the inauguration of new wire harness manufacturing facility of Patil Electric Works at Gokul Industrial Estate here on Monday, Tata Marcopolo Chief Executive Vinay Pathak Pathak said the company intends to develop state-of-the-art buses at its units in Dharwad and Lucknow to stand competent in the global market.
After establishing the plant with an initial investment of `300 crore, having a capacity to manufacture four buses a day, the company is now manufacturing 75 buses, including Volvo, low floor buses and minibuses, a day since August with an annual turnover of `700 crore, he said.
“The company has set a target to manufacture 125 buses by next June. Currently, 4,000 persons are working in the company and of them 97 per cent were Kannadigas and 1,500 were permanent employees. Emphasis was also being laid to recruit women in the plant. Currently 60 women are being trained from various skills,” he added.
Declining the allegation that Tata company had not been entertaining local vendors, Pathak stated that 138 local vendors were attached to the company, and no products and components were being imported from its unit in Lucknow and were being purchased by local companies.
Ramesh Patil, MD, Patil Electric Works, noted that his comapny had been supplying wire harness to Tata Morcopolo since May 2012, meeting all quality standards while machines with latest technology were incorporated to meet further demands.