Suzuki Motor has issued a directive to its Indian suppliers for the first time, asking them to halt production for one day a week for machine maintenance. According to reports from Reuters, Suzuki Motor President Toshihiro Suzuki met with suppliers in India in August and asked them to plan production capacity according to a six-day schedule. The company wants suppliers to move towards an operational model of 20 hours a day, 6 days a week by September 2027, giving production machines 4 hours of downtime each night and a full day for maintenance. As per Reuters, the directive comes as Indian unit Maruti Suzuki prepares to boost annual production to 4 million cars by 2030 from about 2.4 million.
The directive aims to prevent unscheduled stoppages and maintain quality ahead of ramping up output. As reported by Reuters, the concern is that running machinery every day raises the risk of factory accidents, unscheduled stoppages and quality problems as production volume increases. Maruti Suzuki has since asked suppliers to sign declarations by year-end confirming production lines that output components for the vehicle maker do not operate all seven days in a week. The production increase is central to Maruti Suzuki's goal of preparing a series of launches in the run-up to 2030 to regain market share after seeing its share slide after home rivals such as Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra launched feature-packed cars in quick succession.
The directive comes as Indian unit Maruti Suzuki prepares to boost annual production to 4 million cars by 2030 from about 2.4 million. According to Reuters, Suzuki Motor counts India as its biggest market and, increasingly, a key manufacturing base from which it aims to increase exports to destinations including Japan and Europe. Maruti Suzuki is the biggest player in the world's third-largest car market but has seen its share slide after home rivals such as Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra launched feature-packed cars in quick succession. Beyond India, Maruti Suzuki's exports to markets including Japan, Europe and the Middle East are set to approach 500,000 vehicles in 2026, with the push coming as the automaker prepares new powertrain and safety technologies and seeks to shorten vehicle development timelines.
Indian component makers traditionally run machinery continuously, seven days a week, to maximise utilisation and profit. As reported by Reuters, suppliers will therefore need to plan additional capacity to make up for rested production lines, which is likely to require investment in plants and machinery. The directive comes as overall domestic car sales are set to reach about 5 million vehicles in 2026 from 3 million in 2019, with Maruti Suzuki's exports to markets including Japan, Europe and the Middle East set to approach half a million units in 2026. However, Indian suppliers are already under pressure to meet demand, making Suzuki's directive potentially costly just as commodity and raw material prices are soaring.
