Plant in Jaipur, India, will focus on end-of-life vehicle dismantling; could be first of many.

Mumbai-based Tata Motors, which describes itself as India’s leading automobile manufacturer, has opened an end-of-life vehicle (ELV) dismantling facility in Jaipur, India, in the state of Rajasthan.

Tata has named the facility Re.Wi.Re, short for “recycle with respect.” The firm calls Re.Wi.Re its first registered vehicle scrapping facility (RVSF) and commemorated its opening with a visit from India’s Minister of Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari.

The facility has the capacity to dismantle 15,000 vehicles per year and “follows world-class, eco-friendly processes for safe and sustainable dismantling of ELVs,” says Tata Motors. “It is developed and operated by Tata Motors’ partner Ganganagar Vaahan Udyog Pvt. Ltd. to scrap end-of-life passenger and commercial vehicles of all brands.”

“At Tata Motors, we are committed to delve into every aspect of mobility to make it greener and sustainable,” remarked Girish Wagh, executive director of Tata Motors, at the Re.Wi.Re launch ceremony.

Several ministries within the government of India have been urging larger companies based in and doing business in that nation to move recycling activities away from what is often called the informal sector and into channels with greater documentation and expected adherence to regulations.

Added Wagh at the event, “The inauguration of this RVSF heralds a new beginning in responsible scrapping of ELVs. With globally benchmarked and optimized recycling processes, we intend to yield maximum value from the scrap for future use and minimize waste for the overall betterment. We appreciate the visionary efforts of Shri Gadkari in enabling the National Vehicle Scrappage Policy and look forward to setting up Re.Wi.Re facilities across the country in collaboration with our partners.”

Stated Minister Gadkari at the ceremony, “The National Vehicle Scrappage Policy was introduced with the aim to promote circular economy by creating an ecosystem for phasing out unfit and polluting vehicles and to achieve a lower carbon footprint in the country by replacing them with greener and more fuel-efficient vehicles. I congratulate Tata Motors for setting up this quality facility that is at par with global standards. We are working towards positioning India as a vehicle scrapping hub for the entire South Asian region and need more such state-of-the-art scrapping and recycling units in India.”

The facility includes de-polluting processes, according to Tata Motors, and “has dedicated stations for safe dismantling of components such as tires, batteries, fuel, oils, liquids and gases.” ELVs also go through what the automaker calls a stringent documentation and dismantling process “curated individually for passenger and commercial vehicle requirements.”

Concluded Wagh at the Jaipur event, “These decentralized facilities will benefit the customers, share the economic value generated [and] create employment while addressing the need of scrapping vehicles in every part of the country in an eco-friendly manner.”

Tata Motors manufacturers cars, utility vehicles, pick-ups, trucks and buses.