KARACHI: Continued shortage of completely knocked down (CKD) kits has forced Pak Suzuki Motor Company Ltd (PSMCL) to extend the plant shutdown from Sept 12-16.

Further in lieu of periodic maintenance, the plant would also be closed from Sept 19-23, PSMCL said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday.

On Sept 2, the company had planned non-production days (NPDs) during Sept 8-9.

On Aug 16, the company announced a plant shutdown from Aug 18-19. However, on Aug 18, PSMCL extended the shutdown from Aug 22-26 followed by another announcement on Aug 29 regarding further plant closure from Aug 29-31.

From the third week of August to date, the total number of days of plant closure by PSMCL is 22 days due to inventory shortage and periodic maintenance.

Surprisingly, on July 28 the company clarified that there was no plan for plant shutdown as the production schedule and any NPDs remain contingent on a number of external factors.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2022