Mahindra inaugurates new tractor plant in Zaheerabad

The Farm Equipment Sector of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., a part of the US $ 11.1 billion Mahindra Group, has announced that it will soon open a new tractor plant in Zaheerabad, Andhra Pradesh. The ground breaking ceremony for the new plant was performed by the Honourable Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri Kiran Kumar Reddy, in the presence of Honourable Dr. J. Geeta Reddy, Minister of Major Industries, Sugar, Commerce & Export Promotion, Government of Andhra Pradesh and other dignitaries. Dr. Pawan Goenka, President, Automotive and Farm Equipment Sectors, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. and Bishwambhar Mishra, Chief Executive – Tractor and Farm Mechanization, Farm Equipment Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., were present from Mahindra, along with other senior officials. The company will be investing over Rs. 300 crore in the plant which will be spread across 100 acres. The installed capacity of the plant will be 100,000 tractors which can be scaled up to meet additional demand. The new plant is scheduled to commence production in 2012, with the following manufacturing lines installed - Tractor Assembly, Engine Assembly, Gear Box Assembly, Hydraulic Assembly and Sheet Metal Painting. “We are delighted to extend our national footprint to Andhra Pradesh where Mahindra Tractors is the market leader. With its advanced technological processes, large-scale manufacturing set up and eco-friendly focus, the plant is all set to create new benchmarks in manufacturing excellence in the tractor industry. Once complete, the new facility will not only add to industrial growth in the state but will also generate significant employment opportunities for local residents,” said Dr. Pawan Goenka, President, Automotive and Farm Equipment Sectors, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. “The new plant will manufacture tractor models in the range of 30 HP – 90 HP for both the domestic as well as the export markets, with all models conforming to emission norms prevalent in India, Europe and the USA. In addition to world class manufacturing facilities, we will also invest in a solar heating system to reduce the carbon footprint and a rain water harvesting system to conserve water. Moreover, the plant will be a ‘zero discharge’ plant and all the buildings will be energy efficient with a total power requirement of only 3 MVA,” said Bishwambhar Mishra, Chief Executive – Tractor and Farm Mechanization, Farm Equipment Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. Mahindra & Mahindra sells tractors under 2 leading brands, i.e. ‘Mahindra’ & ‘Swaraj’. Mahindra Tractors has had the highest market share in the domestic market for the last 26 years. Last year, the company sold 166,000 tractors in the domestic market. It is also the leading company in terms of numbers of tractors sold globally last year. Mahindra has tractor manufacturing plants in Mumbai, Nagpur, Rudrapur, Jaipur, Mohali and Rajkot. It also has plants overseas - in the USA (2 plants), China (2 plants) and one in Australia.