Saar: The manufacturing facility in Gujarat is currently operating at 100 per cent capacity.

Homegrown automaker Tata Motors has announced plans to ramp-up its Sanand plant. The said facility is currently operating at 100 per cent capacity and so far, has manufactured over 4.5 lakh units since 2010. The company said that the production facility will surpass the lifetime production milestone of 5 lakh units in October this year.

Tata Motors has said that it is currently mapping out its modular architecture plans and will distribute its passenger vehicle manufacturing between Sanand and Pune plants to meet its product expansion plans. Apart from producing the current-generation of models, the company will also be focusing on the future products. It will be strategically investing to upgrade the plants to accommodate new models, such as the Tata Harrier SUV and the 45X Concept hatchback. Both models will be underpinned by entirely new platforms – OMEGA and ALFA respectively.

The Sanand plant went operational over eight years ago and back then it was only producing the soon-to-be-axed Tata Nano. Over the years, the facility was upgraded to accommodate the production of the Tiago hatchback and the Tigor sedan. Even the Tigor EV, Tata Motors’ first-ever pure-electric vehicle which is currently available only for commercial use, went into production in the same facility. Overall, the plant produces 21 variants with 150 vehicle combinations covering the Nano, Tiago and Tigor. The facility is also producing conventional powertrains for the above-mentioned models.

It isn’t just about the production prowess of the facility, it is also about the clever use of modern technology, mixed with renewable energy sources. To run its day-to-day operations, 30-35 per cent of energy is garnered from renewable sources such as wind and solar power. The plant has commissioned 2MW of roof-top solar panels and off-site wind power mills with a capacity of 9MW. Spread over 1,100 acres, Tata Motors’ Sanand facility has 180 acres of green belt, which is nurtured out of wastewater. The manual workforce is backed by over 190 robots. The company said in the last two years, the number of employees has increased by 80 per cent at 4,500.