Ather Energy – Tarun Mehta, co-founder & CEO
One of the key challenges since the unlock phase is capacity building. It’s building a national supply chain and a strong manufacturing process for scaling up and meeting demand for EVs.
Ather has a strong local supplier base, nearly 90% of the product built and sourced in India. Now the challenge is to scale up with not just production capacity but also find the right supply partner. If one has a strong supply chain, it incentivises new players to come in as they are not at the mercy of a handful of component manufacturers.
2020 was a tough year. It was heartening to see how employees ensured that the impact of the pandemic was minimal. Ather’s supportive partners, both in retail and supply chain, worked tirelessly to ensure that their plans didn’t need to change much.
75% of its workforce is still working from home. The new way of working made the team adapt quickly and figure their own rhythm for working together and keeping everyone updated.
The new factory is up and running at Hosur, Tamil Nadu, which can be scaled up to a capacity of half a million scooters a year. It has already crossed the pre-covid levels in demand coming in for Ather products. Last quarter saw a 30% increase in sales. 2021 will be all about scale and distribution.
