CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday inaugurated Tata Motors’ Rs 9,000-crore greenfield manufacturing facility at Panapakkam in Ranipet district, just 16 months after the foundation stone was laid, underscoring the state’s push to convert investment commitments into operating projects.
The facility marks the first phase of Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles’ plant to produce next-generation vehicles, including electric models, for Tata Motors and Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). The first vehicle to roll out was the locally-manufactured Range Rover Evoque.
Stalin symbolically drove the vehicle off the line and flagged it off alongside Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran. Addressing the gathering, Stalin said Tamil Nadu had moved beyond inter-state competition and was now “competing with the world” for global manufacturing investments.
Speaking at the event, Stalin said Tamil Nadu had moved beyond inter-state competition and was now “competing with the world” in attracting global manufacturing investments. He cited the Ranipet facility as evidence of the state’s ability to convert investment commitments into operational projects within tight timelines.
The project strengthens the Tata Group’s footprint in Tamil Nadu, which already spans power, chemicals, electronics.
The plant will manufacture vehicles for JLR, Tata Motors and Tata EV, and is designed as a sustainability-first facility operating on renewable energy and water-positive processes.
Production will be scaled up in phases to reach an annual capacity of 2.5 lakh vehicles over the next five to seven years, serving both domestic and export markets, Chandrasekharan said
The facility combines advanced manufacturing technologies with a locally trained workforce.
It is operated by shopfloor technicians drawn from across Tamil Nadu under Tata Motors’ Lakshya earn-while-you-learn programme, through which polytechnic graduates undergo intensive training at JLR facilities and can pursue company-sponsored engineering degrees while employed.
TMPV plans to invest about Rs 9,000 crore in the plant, which is expected to generate over 5,000 direct and indirect jobs and support the growth of an ancillary manufacturing ecosystem.