In a interview to ET Now today, Maruti chairman RC Bhargava gave a peek into the company’s blueprint to strengthen India’s hand in the fight against Covid-19. Making clear that Maruti has no expertise or technology for making ventilators, he outlined how the company would instead arm an already existing player with the means to win the fight — with the aim to make available as many as 10,000 ventilators per month.
Maruti Suzuki will work with AgVa Healthcare to scale up production of ventilators rapidly.
In view of the fact that Maruti has no expertise for the said venture, the idea from the beginning was to join hands with someone with the required know-how, Bhargava said.
Maruti’s strong point is manufacturing, or rather, manufacturing in high volumes, said Bhargava. AgVa Healthcare is a company of limited size, and although it has the technology to produce ventilators, producing the same in large numbers is beyond it. There is where Maruti’s expertise comes into the picture, Bhargava said.
He also mentioned another ventilator maker based in Noida that Maruti plans to help by way of training. According to the plan, Maruti will deploy its training system into this endeavour. Maruti service facilities will be put at this company’s disposal because once ventilators are in use they will need servicing and spare parts, etc.
ET had reported a couple of days ago about Maruti Suzuki’s pact with AgVa Healthcare, an existing approved manufacturer of ventilators. The pact came after Maruti internally did an assessment of its ability to help in the production of masks, ventilator and other protective equipment that India could soon need in humongous numbers.
