Nissan India has begun to ramp up production to meet the pent-up domestic market demand, said a top company official according to local media. The company has started a second shift at its Chennai factory in a phased manner. Nissan India’s Chennai plant has an annual production capacity of 480,000 units.
At the end of May, the company was forced to shut the plant amid a spike in COVID-19 cases, with Tamil Nadu being one of the worst-hit states. After prolonged arguments between the company and the labor union over workers’ safety, the plant was idled on May 26.
The plant resumed operations on May 31 as the High Court of Madras permitted the company to operate by following safety protocols for workers as laid down by the state government.
Although Nissan has now initiated a second shift at the plant, the production pace is yet to return to optimum levels as supply chains and manpower availability remain impacted. The company management has stated that semiconductor availability has improved from the beginning of the year.