Daimler India Commercial Vehicles reboots operations

Daimler India has announced the reboot of its operations from today, May 7, in a phased manner with preventive measures taken to protect its employees. The company has re-started work with the help of the crisis management team (CMT) team that sets guidelines to ensure the safety of the workers. It consists of representatives from across the organisation and holds virtual meetings with DICV's top executives on a daily basis.

The CMT team has issued health and safety measures that also include the mass cleaning of the 400-acre Oragadam plant. There are specific protocols that have been incorporated to ensure social distancing among employees and hygiene practices to curb the spread of the virus. The CMT will also track the health of over 4,000 employees on a daily basis to monitor the risk factor.

The company has also conducted a communication campaign that involves all employees and stakeholders about the safety procedures necessary during the pandemic. The reboot will start with minimum workforce and full capacity will gradually be achieved. Dealerships have started opening across the country as restrictions are being lifted; existing product owners can avail of the free service and warranty extensions that were offered when the lockdown was initiated.

Satyakam Arya, managing director and CEO at Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, said, "DICV's number one priority is the health and safety of our stakeholders, from our employees and customers to our dealers and suppliers; being part of the Daimler global network allowed us to see the implications of COVID-19 well before the lockdown was announced here in India. We immediately initiated a Crisis Management Team to steer us safely through this difficult situation."

He added, "Every single person in the entire automotive supply chain must work together to avoid infection. That is why it is called a 'chain'; because every link is vital."

Sanjay Kumar, general manager of facility management said, ''Information and agility is the key to crisis management. With a cross-functional team, we were able to source facts quickly from inside and outside the organisation, then together decide on a course of action which could be implemented or revised at a moment's notice."