Tata begins production at new Sanand plant acquired from Ford
Tata Passenger Electric Mobility, the EV subsidiary of Tata Motors, has announced the start of production at its new facility in Sanand, Gujarat. The Sanand plant was acquired from Ford India in 2023 with the intent to build internal combustion and electric vehicles at this facility. The first model to roll out is the Tata Nexon marking a new era for this plant.
Tata EV Sanand Plant: Acquired from Ford in January 2023
Spread over 460 acres, the new EV facility was acquired from Ford India on January 10, 2023, and Tata managed to upgrade the plant to its needs within just 12 months. The plant houses four main shops - Stamping, Body Construction, Paint and Final Assembly. The automaker says each shop is equipped with a high level of automation and tech to ensure precision manufacturing.
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Commenting on the 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 a new level to accommodate a wide range of existing products and future new models. 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."
“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," he added further.
Tata EV Sanand Plant: Major Retooling and Upgrades
The new facility required major retooling and tech upgrades including new dies for stamping critical skin panels at the press shop. The weld shop required modification of all lines with additional robots, new grippers and fixtures. The paint shop needed modification of handling systems, external robot programming, internal robotic painting and waxing setup, whereas the assembly shop needed modifying handling systems and end-of-line systems.
Tata’s new EV plant currently employs over 1,000 personnel including the staff and technicians and the company says they will create an additional 1,000 jobs in the next three to four months in the region. The automaker also plans to invest in upskilling its workforce by providing them with diplomas, as well as Bachelor of Engineering and Master’s Degrees, as required.
Tata EV Sanand Plant: Sustainably Built
The Sanand plant has also been upgraded to become sustainable with a 50 kW solar rooftop and has a water-neutral plant, which is expected to be water-positive by December this year.
