Durban – Mahindra South Africa has launched a new vehicle assembly facility at the Dube TradePort special economic zone in KwaZulu-Natal, boosting its production capacity as the company marks 20 years in the country.
Situated close to its first 2018 assembly site, the new plant meets Mahindra’s global manufacturing standards and includes upgraded quality control systems, extended production lines and customisation areas for South African customers.
Rajesh Gupta, Mahindra South Africa’s chief executive, said rising demand for the locally assembled Pik Up range made it necessary to move to a facility with greater scale, flexibility and technology to cater for future growth while maintaining high quality standards.
The Durban plant can produce more than 1,000 single- and double-cab Pik Up models each month, with room to expand if required. It has also been designed to handle new models planned for the South African market, with an increasing number of parts to be sourced locally. Mahindra’s global engineering team is collaborating with South African suppliers to find more localisation opportunities.
Earlier this year, Mahindra partnered with the Industrial Development Corporation to explore building a full-scale manufacturing plant in South Africa. The performance of the new Durban facility will help determine the direction of that project.
Sachin Arolkar, head of Mahindra’s international operations, said the plant strengthens regional manufacturing capacity and positions South Africa as a central hub for Mahindra’s African operations.
Since beginning local assembly in 2018, Mahindra has grown into one of South Africa’s 10 best-selling vehicle brands.
Leave a comment