Honda unveiled new banners Tuesday and, to the extreme pleasure of area residents, they have Greensburg’s famous courthouse tree emblazoned on them.
Honda made its official announcement, selecting Decatur County as its new home, exclusively to the Greensburg Daily News.
The plant will be more than 1 million square feet, cost $550 million to construct and employ 2,000 people. These numbers, straight from Honda, are larger than any bandied about to this point.
In addition, Honda’s upcoming presence will speed up making the I-74 and U.S. 421 interchange go in both directions as the plant will sit on a 1,700-acre tract on 421 between Vandalia Road and the Interstate.
“I grew up in Coldwater, Ohio, a small town not far from the Indiana border. Honestly, when I first came to Decatur County to survey our new plant site and get a feel for the community, I thought that if I closed my eyes and opened them again I might be back home,” Larry Jutte, senior vice president of parts and procurement for Honda of America Manufacturing, Inc., is expected to say this morning in a speech made available to the Daily News. “Of course, that was before I saw the tree growing out of the top of the county courthouse. Then, I knew I was in a unique place.”
Jutte and other Honda executives will be at the Greensburg Community Learning Center at 10:30 a.m. to tell the world of their choice. A group of nearly 40 Honda employees and what can only be described as a stage crew swept into the city and took over the Center in preparation for the meeting. They worked through the night to set up for the press conference.
Jutte is also expected to discuss a bit about Honda’s search for a new home but won’t discuss specifics.
“Over the past several months, we never acknowledged any of the locations that we considered, and we don’t intend to do so today because we never looked at this as a competition,” Jutte said. “The state borders were not a defining line. From a manufacturing perspective, we were looking for the optimal location from a logistical standpoint. We looked at a number of sites in the Midwest. Importantly, we have production operations and parts suppliers encompassing a number of states throughout the Midwest. This plant will fit very well in what is an efficient, effective and seamless network.”
Jutte also pointed out, while the plant can only be in one place, the impact will be far reaching.
“There will be a substantial positive impact from this plant of almost $1.5 billion annually throughout the Midwest region, including those states we were considering,” he said.
The plant is expected to be fully-operational and have the first vehicle roll off the assembly line in the fall of 2008. Honda expects to make 200,000 four-cylinder vehicles annually. The major operations of the facility will include; stamping, welding, painting, plastic injection molding, sub-assembly and assembly, testing, quality assurance and shipping.
“The business of building automobiles is special, unlike any other,” Jutte will say. “Here in Indiana, some 2,000 people will touch each vehicle before it reaches the customer. Think about that. With a great deal of energy and enthusiasm, and working as a team, we will ensure our quality meets the expectations of our customers. And through this teamwork with this community, we will have success. This can be fun and rewarding when you have the kind of teamwork we try to achieve.”
To comment on or view reaction to this or other local stories, visit www.greensburgdailynews.com.
Honda Central
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June 28, 2006
HONDA has a new Home!
Decatur County wins bid for 2,000 jobs...
- Honda Central
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Honda named "Greenest Automaker" by Union of Concerned Scientists
Honda has earned the title of America’s “2007 Greenest Automaker” from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) for the fourth consecutive time.
- Honda gets 5,000 applicants for 18 jobs When Honda officials said they were delighted by the response the company’s call for applicants returned, they may have been understating things a bit.
- Honda jobs hot on the Web That theory was borne out recently as Honda received a multitude of online applications for the first-ever positions at the Greensburg facility.
- Honda ceremoniously breaks ground on 19th In what promises to be the first of several momentous occasions, Honda announced it will be hosting a limited ground breaking ceremony on March 19.
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Honda begins limited hiring for non-production positions
Honda announced it will begin hiring for a limited number of positions for the new $550 million auto plant it is constructing near Greensburg.
Honda will run a series of employment advertisements beginning this week in the Greensburg Daily News. -
JIM CUMMINGS: Sometimes no news is good news
It’s been easy to get caught up in Honda hysteria lately with all of the happenings in Decatur County. There’s a buzz around this area which hasn’t been felt in some time.
- Konichiwa Greensburg: An update from Vicki Kellerman Greetings from Narita, Japan! After a long but very comfortable flight, we arrived at Narita Airport almost on time, about 6:30 p.m. Narita time and 5:30 a.m. Greensburg time.
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Sayonara Greensburg, Konnichiwa Japan
While most local residents were just getting up, if they slept in, and sipping their first cup of coffee, a group of 23 people from Southeastern Indiana were boarding a plane to Japan.
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Honda site taking shape
The employees may have been whistling while they worked but probably can’t hear it over the loud hum of heavy machinery at the Honda site.
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Honda’s goal: Innovation
“There were many reasons why Honda selected Indiana for our new plant – transportation, infrastructure, land and other business decisions,” Shane McCoy, a 17-year Honda employee who will be responsible for support services at the Greensburg factory, told 320 attendees of the Ripley County Chamber of Commerce annual dinner Sept. 14.
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