Tata Passenger Electric Mobility commences production at new Sanand facility

Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd. (TPEM), a subsidiary of Tata Motors, has initiated production of passenger vehicles at its newly established factory in Sanand, Gujarat. The company marked this development by rolling out its first Tata-branded car from the facility. Present at the event were Shailesh Chandra, Managing Director of TPEM, and the leadership team from the Passenger and Electric Vehicles divisions.

Commenting on this momentous occasion, Shailesh Chandra, Managing Director, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Limited & Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Limited said, “Witnessing the first car roll out of the new TPEM facility in Sanand is a proud moment for us. We have successfully retooled the factory in the shortest span of 12 months, taking it to new level to accommodate a wide range of existing products and future new models to come. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Government of Gujarat for its wholesome support and our employees without whom this accomplishment would not have been possible. I am confident that this facility will play a pivotal role in steering Tata Motors, especially TPEM, towards achieving newer feats.” He added,” Tata Motors Passenger & Electric Vehicles business has delivered market beating growth over the last few years. We have strong plans to sustain this momentum, with our robust pipeline of future ready “New Forever” products and proactive investments in electric vehicles. With existing capacities near saturation, this new facility will unlock an additional state-of-the-art manufacturing capacity of 300,000 units per annum which is scalable to 420,000 units per annum.”

The new facility, acquired from Ford India on January 10, 2023, is situated in the GIDC Sanand industrial hub. Covering 460 acres, it is Tata Motors’ second plant in Gujarat for manufacturing internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric vehicle (EV) models. The plant comprises four main shops – Stamping, Body construction, Paint, and Final assembly shop, equipped with high automation and latest technology for precision manufacturing, as claimed by the source.

The major retooling and tech upgrades include:

• Press shop: New dies for stamping critical skin panels

• Weld shop: Modification of all lines with additional robots, new grippers, and fixtures

• Paint shop: Modification of handling systems, external robot programming, internal robotic painting, and waxing setup

• Assembly shop: Modification of handling systems and end-of-line system

As per the official statement, the plant currently employs more than 1000 staff and technicians and aims to create an additional 1000 jobs in the next 3 to 4 months in line with production ramp-up plans. Tata Motors has invested in upskilling its workforce through educational programs (Diploma, Bachelor of Engineering and Master’s Degree, as applicable). In this plant, a 50 KW solar rooftop is installed. This is a water neutral plant and is expected to be water positive by December 2024.

Also read: Tata Passenger Electric Mobility to work with multiple CPOs to set up 10,000 charging stations by FY25