An important environmental milestone thus achieved is when Maruti Suzuki became the first automobile company in India to ship its two millionth vehicle via rail. This epitomized its commitment to sustainable logistics and reduction of carbon footprint.
In 2014-15, Maruti Suzuki took out by rail 65,700 vehicles; in 2023-24, it was 447,750 vehicles. Transporting vehicles by rail is less crowded, safer, and energy-efficient compared to the road. Currently, it uses Indian Railways for dispatching cars at 20 destinations across the country, covering over 450 places.
It is upwards of a decade since Maruti Suzuki pioneered rail transport for vehicles by becoming the first company in India to be awarded the license as an Automobile-Freight-Train-Operator. That was really the beginning of its green logistics promotional effort, which has been followed by some notable achievements. Transshipment from the final mile to rail reduces CO2 emissions annually by nearly 10,000 metric tonnes, leading to an overall change that has saved beyond 270 million total gallons of gasoline.
Looking forward, Maruti Suzuki is keen to enhance rail transportation. In the next seven to eight years, the company aspires to increase the share of dispatch by rail to about 35% of vehicles. This is quite an ambitious target considering the kind of production capacity it has envisaged—close to double, at 4 million units from the current 2 million units, by the fiscal year 2030-31.
A major step in this green logistics initiative by Maruti Suzuki came with the inauguration of India’s first in-plant railway siding at its Gujarat plant early this year. Under the PM’s Gati Shakti scheme, the siding was inaugurated by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and this siding can dispatch about 300,000 vehicles per annum from this plant located in Gujarat. Apart from this, the in-plant railway siding at Manesar is under process and is likely to be operational shortly.
The commitment of Maruti Suzuki toward green logistic lies in tandem with their overall environment strategy. These measures will make the logistic process of Maruti Suzuki more efficient and will contribute significantly to the conservation of the environment. This trend has been in synchronization with the global initiatives, which have oriented industries toward greener industrial practices, and it again shows the way in which Maruti Suzuki is taking the lead to embrace innovative solutions for a greener future.
As the company continues to increase its production and distribution outputs, greater rail transport focus is sure to contribute to this growth strategy. The focus on green logistics not just fits with the vision for sustainability of Maruti Suzuki but also lays a path in the automotive industry that is going to be followed by the rest.
In sum, the sending of the two millionth railway-despatched vehicle is a milestone in Maruti Suzuki’s quest toward green logistics. With ongoing projects and future plans in the pipeline, the firm is poised to keep leading the green transport solution drive for a cleaner and more sustainable environment.