Business Line reported that TATA Marcopolo Motors Ltd plans to set up Global Bus Design Centre at Dharwad.
Speaking to reporters after inaugurating the wire harness division of Patil Electric Works at Gokul Industrial Area in Hubli, Mr Vinay K Pathak CEO of TATA Marcopolo Motors said that the plan to set up design centre is to manufacture buses of global standards.
Global standard
Currently, around 80 people are working on the design section of the unit at Belur Industrial Area.
Mr Vinay K Pathak CEO of TATA Marcopolo Motors said that "We plan to increase the number to 250 and develop it into a global bus design centre in the coming days."
At the centre, engineers would be working on improving the designs from Brazil and the whole process is to benefit both TATAs and Marcopolo resulting in production of global standard buses.
The company so far has invested close to INR 300 crore for its bus unit at Dharwad. Plans are there to invest another INR 160 crore for the unit expansion to increase the production capacity.
Mr Pathak said that "Of it, INR 50 crore is being earmarked for the global bus design centre."
He said that the company had plans to increase production from 75 buses per day to 125 buses by June.
He added that "This year, we have set a target of achieving Rs 700 crore turnover" adding that at present 97% of the workforce at its Dharwad unit was from Karnataka and the company had 1,500 permanent employees.
