Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) has achieved a significant milestone by surpassing 2 million cumulative vehicle dispatches through Indian Railways. This achievement underscores the company’s commitment to sustainable logistics and its strategic shift towards increased use of rail transport.
The share of vehicle dispatches through Indian Railways has dramatically increased from 5% in the fiscal year 2014-15 to 21.5% in 2023-24. In terms of volume, this translates to an increase from 65,700 units in 2014-15 to 447,750 units in 2023-24. In total, MSIL has dispatched over 2 million units via Indian Railways to 20 destinations, serving over 450 cities.
Future Plans
Maruti Suzuki India plans to further amplify the use of railways for vehicle transportation. According to Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director and CEO of Maruti Suzuki India, the company aims to transport 35% of the vehicles produced across its factories through Indian Railways over the next 7-8 years. This aligns with the company’s projected production capacity increase from about 2 million units to 4 million units by the fiscal year 2030-31.
Hisashi Takeuchi stated, “With our production capacity nearly doubling by FY 2030-31, we plan to augment the use of railways in vehicle dispatches, targeting close to 35% over the next 7-8 years. Maruti Suzuki pioneered the use of railways for vehicle dispatches over a decade ago by becoming the first company in India to obtain the Automobile-Freight-Train-Operator license. Since then, we have systematically increased our share of vehicle dispatches using railways.”
Environmental Impact
Maruti Suzuki’s sustained efforts in green logistics have resulted in a cumulative reduction of 10,000 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions and savings of 270 million liters of fuel. These efforts are part of the company’s broader commitment to India’s net zero emissions target by 2070.
Earlier this year, under the PM Gati Shakti programme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the country’s first automobile in-plant railway siding at Maruti Suzuki’s Gujarat facility. This facility can dispatch 300,000 vehicles per annum. The next in-plant railway siding is under development at the company’s Manesar facility and will be operational soon.
Maruti Suzuki India continues to lead in sustainable logistics, setting an example for the industry while enhancing its operational efficiency and contributing to national environmental goals.
*Source – PTI
