The number of COVID-19 positive cases has been on the rise ever since the restrictions have been drastically eased compared to the first three stages of the lockdown. The pandemic hasn’t spared the auto industry either as Toyota recently announced temporary halting of production at its plant in Bidadi, Karnataka starting from July 14th (second shift) to July 22nd (first shift). This is in accordance with the directives issued by the Government of Karnataka as well as to support the Govt in their constant efforts to flatten the curve, of the rising Covid-19 positive cases in the state.
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Since the onset of the pandemic, Toyota has adopted a very proactive and multi-faceted approach to safeguard the physical as well as the mental well-being of all its stakeholders including customers, its employees, dealer & supplier partners. The company first and foremost, voluntarily suspended production at its plant in Bidadi, even before the national lockdown was announced in March.
This was done to ensure the safety and well-being of all its employees. Thereafter, Toyota has been instrumental in curating a well thought out “Restart Manual”- a set of guidelines & best practices which would not only help TKM to restart production at its factory but was also shared with several other big and small organizations across the industry. TKM also ensured that its employees and their families received the required professional assistance for both physical and mental health, during the period of the lockdown.
Similar to the “Restart Manual”, TKM with the help of its dealer partners, put together an exhaustive set of guidelines “Dealer Restart” for its dealer partners to ensure the safety and well-being of not just its dealer partners but also customers who visit our dealerships. Moreover, to assist our customers who are homebound, TKM has made provisions to digitalize the sales process so as to ensure that our customers are not inconvenienced at any point.
Post unlock, TKM has been prudent about the number of employees working at the plant in Bidadi. At any given point, only 40 to 45% of the production workforce was attending work so as to maintain all norms of social distancing. On a daily basis, all employees have to self-declare their health condition, as a reassurance to their safe health. Furthermore, a thorough process of disinfecting the workplace on a daily basis is ensured along with special deep cleaning and disinfection of the affected areas. TKM has also modified its medical insurance to include COVID-19 treatment and also increased the coverage for all its employees and their family members so as to extend all possible support to them during this pandemic.
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The office staff at TKM’s corporate and regional offices, continue to ‘work from home’ to help mitigate risks. In addition to the safety protocols that are being followed, TKM has provided safety kits containing essential items like sanitizers, 3PLY masks and handwashes to 5000 employees, their family members and their neighbourhoods benefitting over 25,000 families, thereby looking out for the community as well. TKM understands the urgency of the situation and is taking considerate steps in the larger interest of saving lives and security of the society. During these difficult times, TKM is taking obligatory actions to contain the further spread and will continue to respond in accordance with guidance issued by the Government and its internal standards.