Honda to Evolve its Automobile Production System and Capability in Japan
04 October 2017 - 8:22PM
JCN Newswire (English)
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced that the company will
evolve its automobile production system and capability to further
enhance Mono-zukuri (the art of making things/manufacturing) in
Japan. In more concrete terms, Honda will pursue two key
initiatives: to evolve production operations in Japan and to newly
establish a function to evolve production technologies in Japan to
be shared globally.
Due to the rapid advance of new technologies such as
electrification and intelligence technologies, the automobile
industry is undergoing an unprecedented and significant turning
point in its history. Anticipating major changes in automobile
production, Honda will largely evolve its production operations in
addition to product development operations.
Since its foundation, Honda has been establishing the technologies
and know-how of Mono-zukuri in Japan and then evolving them rapidly
to operations outside Japan, where each region applies its own
originality and ingenuity at the spot. This is how Honda has
achieved growth on a global basis. However, from here forward,
automobile manufacturers must be able to accommodate new
technologies speedily, and therefore it became essential for Honda
to further evolve its production function in Japan and establish a
structure where Japan operations will lead the other Honda
operations on a global basis.
Based on this understanding of the situation, Honda will pursue the
following initiatives.
1. Evolving production operations in Japan
While leveraging the respective strengths of automobile production
plants in Japan, Honda will establish a production system and
capability which will enhance Honda's competitiveness.
1) Saitama Factory:
In order to accommodate the production of vehicles equipped with
new technologies such as electrified vehicles, the automobile
production of the Sayama Automobile Plant and Yorii Automobile
Plant will be consolidated to the Yorii Automobile Plant, which
employs the latest production technologies. This consolidation is
expected to be completed by around fiscal year 2022 (fiscal year
ending March 31, 2022).
Production know-how involving new technologies will be amassed at
the Yorii Automobile Plant and evolved from Japan, Honda's
Mono-zukuri leader, to Honda operations outside of Japan, which
will establish a structure where Japan operations will lead other
Honda operations on a global basis.
Associates who are currently working at Sayama Automobile Plant
will be transferred mainly to the Yorii Automobile Plant and fully
utilize the production know-how they have amassed in their
career.
2) Suzuka Factory:
Suzuka Factory will continue to establish technologies and know-how
for producing highly-competitive mini-vehicles and also continue to
play a role to evolve such production technologies and know-how
horizontally to other Honda operations on a global basis.
3) Yokkaichi Factory of Yachiyo Industry Co., Ltd. (Yachiyo)
Striving to further increase the efficiency of producing
low-volume-production models, which Honda is currently entrusting
to Yachiyo, Honda and Yachiyo today signed a basic agreement to
begin discussion toward making Yachiyo's automobile assembly
business a wholly-owned subsidiary of Honda.
While leveraging the technologies and human resources amassed at
Yachiyo, Honda will further increase efficiency by optimizing its
low-volume production system and capability.
The two companies will continue to discuss more details, such as
the scope of Yachiyo business Honda will take over, and strive to
reach a final agreement.
2. Newly establishing a function to evolve global production
technologies in Japan
Within the Yorii Automobile Plant, Honda will newly establish a
function to create, standardize and globally share new production
technologies to accommodate new automotive technologies such as
electrification technologies. Honda associates from production
operations in each region will come together in Japan to jointly
plan new production technologies and processes based on know-how
amassed in Japan. Then, such production technologies and processes
will be verified on the demonstration line built for this function,
matured and then become standardized. Standardized production
technologies and processes will be evolved horizontally to other
Honda operations on a global basis so that Honda can launch
high-quality new products to the market speedily.
Moreover, through this function, Honda will further develop and
foster global human resources.
Through these initiatives, Honda will further strengthen and
significantly evolve its automobile production system and
capability in Japan to reinforce its automobile business
structure.
About Honda
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (TSE:7267/NYSE:HMC/LSE:HNDA) is one of the
leading manufacturers of automobiles and power products and the
largest manufacture of motorcycles in the world. Honda has always
sought to provide genuine satisfaction to people worldwide. The
result is more than 120 manufacturing facilities in 30 countries
worldwide, producing a wide range of products, including
motorcycles, ATVs, generators, marine engines, lawn and garden
equipment and automobiles that bring the company into contact with
over 19 million customers annually. For more information, please
visit http://world.honda.com.
Source: Honda
Contact:
Honda
Media Inquiries
corporate_pr@hm.honda.co.jp
+81-3-5412-1512
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