Dongfeng Honda begins production at new plant

Business Jul. 11, 2012 - 05:17AM JST ( 1 )

WUHAN, China —

Dongfeng Honda Automobile Co, a Honda automobile production and sales joint venture in China, on Tuesday held a ceremony to commemorate the start of production at its new second automobile plant (in Wuhan, Hubei Province). Attending the ceremony were dignitaries, guests and representatives from the local governments of Wuhan, Hubei Province as well as Xu Ping, CEO of Dongfeng Motor Corporation and Takanobu Ito, President & CEO of Honda Motor Co Ltd.

The second plant is located approximately 4km northeast of the first plant and employs advanced production and environmental technologies. Honda said the new plant will achieve China’s top-level reduction in both CO2 and VOC emissions, in CO2 emissions by shortening the painting process and utilizing waste heat at its painting facility, and in VOC emissions by and adopting water based primer in the processing of plastic resin components.

Moreover, the new plant will be a “highly efficient and people-friendly plant” with introduction of the world’s first* full-pallet conveyor assembly line, where the ground height of the conveyer can be changed flexibly and the doors of the vehicle are carried under the pallet, as well as the adoption of a barrier-free process that minimizes the number of steps required for associates. The initial annual production capacity of the second plant is 100,000 units; however, plans already exist to expand capacity to 120,000 units next year and to 240,000 units in the future.

Japan Today/Honda