ROYAL ENFIELD TO SET UP SECOND PLANT BY 2013

If you have been amongst Royal Enfield lovers and aspirants who have been disappointed by the long waiting periods that the thumpers demand,things look like they are about to change for the better.Eicher Motors,which owns Royal Enfield,recently announced that it will be setting up a new manufacturing facility for its motorcycles at Oragadam near Chennai,which will be able to churn out about 1.5 lakh bikes every year.The facility is expected to be ready by March 2013.
The proposed 50-acre facility is likely to see a total investment of up to Rs 350 crore over the next five years.Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa officially allotted land for construction of the plant at the Oragadam SIPCOT Industrial Park,near Chennai.

He said the new facility will have an initial installed capacity of 1.5 lakh units per annum,which could be expanded later,depending upon demand."With addition of new capacities,we will be able to reduce the waiting periods of our bikes.It currently about 6-8 months,"Royal Enfield CEO Siddharth Lal said.

Following operationalisation of the new plant,Royal Enfield will shift its entire vehicle assembly line here.At present,it has another facility in the state that produces 70,000 bikes every year.