Honda is turning to its industry-leading New Manufacturing System to meet the demands of U.S. customers by adding production of the Honda Accord Sedan to its East Liberty Auto Plant.
The midsize Accord will be built on the same assembly line that produces the compact Honda Civic and the Honda Element light truck, beginning in early 2005, Honda of America Mfg. Inc. announced today.
Honda will continue to produce the Accord at the Marysville Auto Plant, where it is built with the Acura TL luxury sports sedan. Producing the Accord at both locations will increase the flexibility of each plant to deal with market changes, such as the current sales surge of the Acura TL.
"Being able to add and shift models quickly among our plants allows us to react in a timely way to the market," said John Adams, senior vice president and general manager of manufacturing at Honda of America.
Honda of America has three auto assembly lines, two in the Marysville Auto Plant and one at the East Liberty plant. In 2005, all three will be capable of producing the Accord, which will enhance the ability of the plants collectively to produce other models.
Honda's New Manufacturing System relies on high levels of associate involvement and flexibility in manufacturing systems, process flow, materials handling and logistics.
"Building many products on a common line, and doing so at high levels of quality and with relatively low investment, gives Honda an advantage in building vehicles to our customer's tastes," Adams said.
The Accord will be introduced to the East Liberty Plant as a rolling model introduction - taking place without stopping the assembly line.
The Marysville Auto plant employs 5,600 associates. It began production in 1982 and produces the Honda Accord Sedan and Coupe and Acura TL. The East Liberty Auto Plant, which has 2,650 associates, opened in 1989 and currently produces the Honda Element and the Civic Sedan, Coupe and natural gas-powered Civic GX.
Honda produced its first U.S. product, an Elsinore motorcycle, at the Marysville Motorcycle Plant in 1979. Since then, employment in Ohio has grown to nearly 16,000 associates, and to more than 25,000 associates in the United States. Honda now builds automobiles, light trucks, motorcycles, ATVs, personal watercraft, engines, transmissions and other products at 11 major factory locations in North America -- eight in the United States, one in Canada and two in Mexico -- using domestic and globally sourced parts.
Honda has built a network of 520 supplier companies in North America and purchased $12.5 billion in parts and materials from suppliers last year. More than 75 percent of Honda and Acura vehicles sold in the United States are assembled in North America.