Maruti Suzuki faces uphill task for BS-VI conversion

With the fast approaching April 1, 2020, deadline for the stricter emission norms to kick in, Maruti Suzuki has taken aggressive steps to get over 40 powertrain variants BS VI-ready, across more than 15 models.

Apart from working overtime, the company has also reinforced manpower in its engineering, and research and development departments in order to be able to meet the BS-VI norms for its fleet ahead of schedule.

"We are working very hard, we are working overtime. No other manufacturer has this kind of work which they have to do. We have the largest number of model portfolio and the largest number of powertrains," CV Raman, senior executive director, Maruti Suzuki India, told PTI. He was responding to a query on how the Supreme Court's order last month to stop selling BS IV vehicles across the country from April 1, 2020, has impacted the company’s readiness for BS VI norms.

Increasing headcount in R&D and engineering

Commenting on augmenting manpower for BS-VI-related activity, Raman said, "Yes, we have been continuously upgrading our people at our facilities both at Rohtak and at Gurgaon."

He said the company had to deploy more people not to just meet the BS-VI norms but also other safety regulations which had come into effect this year.

Without specifying the number of people deployed for the project, Raman said, "It is a substantial number, especially on the powertrain (for activities such as) engine design, calibration and testing."

Moreover, additional manpower has been utilised in areas such as transmission design, quality assurance and body changes, he added.

Stating that BS-VI work is simultaneously underway at the company's R&D centre at Rohtak and Gurgaon facility along with Suzuki Motor Corp in Japan, Raman said the company is also working with suppliers such as Dentsu, Bosch and others. "There is no choice for us, we have to do it. For us, it is do or die," he said.