Two-wheeler major Hero MotoCorp had halted all production at its plants from 22nd March in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dealerships were also shut and offices closed with work from home made mandatory.
The lockdown has seen some relaxation over the past few days in view of which the company had commenced manufacturing operations at its plants at Dharuhera and Gurgaon in Haryana and Haridwar in Uttarakhand from 4th May and vehicle dispatches to company dealerships commenced from 7th May.
On the 10th of May, the company also re-opened its 1,500 customer touch points and authorized dealerships along with service outlets. In the first three days of opening, sales touched 10,000+ units. These are not significantly high sales but considering the present pandemic which has encompassed the country and the prevailing market scenario, these sales are indeed promising of better sales in the days ahead.
In view of the present pandemic, the company has also released a ‘restart manual’ which is offered in 10 regional languages and lists out safety and hygiene precautions to be followed both at the manufacturing facilities and at the dealerships and service centers. The manual shows detailed visuals of all safety precautions in terms of use of PPEs, social distancing, deep cleaning, fumigation, sanitization of all work stations, seating and washrooms etc, customer entry protocols and delivery norms.
Along with these re-start manuals, the company also conducted training programs via webinars, reaching out to 700 internal sales and after sales staff. Staff will have to wear PPEs such as masks and gloves and break timings will be staggered. The staff has also been trained in careful handling of documents/credit cards and cash while the manual also covers aspects of home delivery norms to be followed.
Earlier this month, Hero MotoCorp also announced a hike in prices on all models by Rs.750-2,800 and the company has updated its official website with these new prices. With this price hike, the entry level Hero Splendor Plus is now priced at Rs.60,350 and Hero Glamour, which is the most expensive of models in the company lineup, is priced at Rs.73,250.
Pricing of the BS6 complaint XPulse 200, XPulse 200T and Xtreme 200S bikes have not yet been detailed. In the near future, the company also gears up for launch of the Xtreme 160R motorcycle which could be launched sometime in next few months.
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
