Kia Motors India resumes production at Anantapur plant with special focus on safety measures

As production restarts in Kia Motors India’s Anantapur plant in Andhra Pradesh, the brand has put in place an SOP with regards to employee safety at its production facility in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. Currently, the plant is operating a single shift, with operations set to begin at full capacity only once the COVID-19 situation in the country normalises.

The Korean carmaker has readied its facilities, putting all safety measures in place for the well-being of its employees and vendors. Kia’s Anantapur manufacturing plant started functioning again on May 8, 2020, after its operations were suspended following the nationwide lockdown announced by the Government of India. All the necessary permissions from the Andhra Pradesh Government and Anantapur local municipal corporation were taken before operations resumed at the Kia Motors India manufacturing facility.

Kia Motors India has taken all the necessary precautions to ensure physical distancing at the work environment, including ensuring sanitisation, regular temperature checks, and medical checkups before entering the plant premises, as well as distributing masks for all employees on duty.

In addition to this, Kia Motors India is also ensuring appropriate social distancing in common areas like canteen, team meeting areas, walkways, meeting rooms, washrooms, and water dispensing areas, Next, the brand has SOPs in place for disinfecting the common computers, biometric systems and spraying disinfectants at all common areas. Also, the brand is urging its employees to practice social distancing while travelling to office in company-run buses, and wearing mask at all times till they reach their homes.

Commenting on the development, Kookhyun Shim, MD & CEO, Kia Motors India, said, “As we resume production and bring processes back on track, we have introduced a comprehensive safety protocol to ensure a safe environment at our Anantapur plant to ensure all employees at our facility are protected. These are unprecedented conditions and we are committed to adapting to the new norms of the world while we work towards normalcy. Our initial focus is to keep our employees motivated, retain a positive outlook and deliver on our promises to our customers.”

He further added, “Kia Motors India priorities are to clear pending orders for the best-selling Seltos and luxurious Carnival, and also to prepare the line for the eagerly anticipated compact SUV, Sonet. Our stakeholders, including suppliers and logistics partners, are all in-line with the current production and have assured us support in case we have to increase production volumes over the coming days.”

Besides the steps mentioned above, Kia Motors India has donated Rs 2 crore to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister's Relief Fund, donated one lakh masks to the government to support its COVID-19 control measures, and distributed 50,000 masks to its dealer partners to ensure safety of dealers and customers.

Lastly, Kia Motors India has taken up several initiatives to encourage online sales, thereby reducing physical interactions and maintaining social distancing at all times possible. A detailed guideline on dealership operations has been issued to maintain required hygiene and distancing protocols at its facilities to ensure the safety of customers and staff. As a step towards spreading awareness about the global pandemic, the brand also came up with the #RewindKia campaign, urging everyone to stay home and be safe.