Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) on Thursday said its Chakan manufacturing facility had crossed a cumulative production milestone of three million vehicles, with the BE 6 electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) marking the milestone.
The company said the latest one million vehicles were produced in 27 months, compared with the 107 months taken to manufacture the first one million vehicles after the plant began production in December 2009.
Spread across 657 acres, the Chakan facility manufactures 19 models and more than 450 variants across passenger vehicles, electric vehicles (EVs) and commercial vehicles. The plant supports the production of both internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric vehicles.
According to the company, the facility uses Industry 4.0 technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), 5G connectivity and digital traceability across manufacturing operations. It has around 1,500 robots, with more than 98 per cent automation in the body shop.
The company said the plant operates seven multi-model assembly lines and uses autonomous mobile robots for material movement.
Mahindra said more than 50 per cent of the facility’s energy requirement is met through renewable sources, while EV manufacturing at the plant runs on renewable energy. It added that the facility is water-positive, returning the equivalent of 131 per cent of the water it uses to nature, and is certified as Zero Waste to Landfill.
The Chakan plant also manufactures vehicles for export markets, including South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
