Problems continue to dog auto parts’ suppliers in Haryana.

Even as the complete resolution of tyre shortage for commercial vehicles remains elusive, it emerges that production at battery maker Exide Industries has fallen to about a fourth of its installed capacity due to labour troubles.

Exide has a facility at Bawal in Haryana with aninstalled capacity of 16,000 units per day. The unit makes valve regulated lead acid battery (VRLA) which is used for two-wheelers. It supplies to the country’s largest two-wheeler maker, Hero Honda Motors, and sister company Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI).

Paban Kumar Kataky, director with Exide, acknowledged that “there has been an illegal go-slow agitation by workers since March end. An agreement was signed for a 3-year contract with workers but due to some instigation, a go-slow has been going on. The state government has already declared this go-slow as illegal”.

He declined to divulge how Exide has been managing supplies to the two OEMs.

Meanwhile, Hero Honda said in a statement that the problem at Exide has impacted its dispatches. “Our production plans are made well in advance... however, due to certain industrial relations (IR) issues at our suppliers’ end, we have not been getting our full supply of batteries. This is certainly impacting our despatches. We are engaging with our suppliers to ensure that the issues are resolved at the earliest”.