Joe Hornaday
It’s been one year since Honda Manufacturing of Indiana (HMIN) began mass production of Civics at the Greensburg plant, and the event was commemorated with a visit from company president Yuzo Uenohara.
Associates began production at HMIN on Oct. 9, 2008, and celebrated the one-year anniversary with a lunch celebration featuring food and cake.
“Today was a good day,” John Kahle of the Manager and Counsel Administration Department explained.
Anita Sipes, Corporate Communications, agreed with Kahle.
“It was kind of a time to think of the associates,” Sipes said.
Greensburg resident Steve Butz, who works in purchasing and logistics as a packing designer for supplier parts, said each day is a new challenge.
“It’s a challenging experience. Honda challenges you to do better and come up with new ideas. That’s why they’re industry leaders,” Butz said. “They’re philosophy is you can always get better. It’s never good enough.”
For Kimberly Burke-Woodson being part of the team is a source of pride. She is a team coordinator working on the rear suspension line, which is responsible for the installation of brakes, among other things, on every HMIN Civic. After working at other automotive facilities over the years, she said Honda has been the best.
“I really enjoy working at Honda. What I like most is the high level of respect,” Burke-Woodson said. “I come here with a smile everyday, seriously. I’ve worked for competitors bewfore Honda, and it doesn’t compare.”
She noted just like the other associates, each Honda product, especially the Civic, brings a swelling of pride. She also loves the look of amazement in the eyes of her four children when they see a Civic and wonder if their mother had a hand its creation.
For all Honda associates, it was hard to believe that one year has past since mass production began.
“One day, you just get the word to move in to the facility,” Kahle said.
Currently, Honda is at a full one-shift capacity, producing approximately 400 vehicles per day. According to Kahle, so far, the Greensburg facility has produced about 65,000 Civics since beginning on Oct. 9, 2008. Automobiles being made at the site currently include the Honda Civic DX, LX and EX sedan models and the Civic GX sedan natural gas powered vehicle.
Much has changed since Honda began shipping cars out of Greensburg. Four Indiana suppliers either expanded or relocated as a result of the new facility. Tomasco Indiana out of Winchester, T.S. Tech Indiana from New Castle and Indiana Assemblies from Greensburg are among those that were working with Honda.
Each Civic contains about 900 parts from hundreds of suppliers, according to the HMIN One-Year Fact Sheet. Of the approximately 150 Honda Civic suppliers, about 120 are located in the Midwest. Honda has 60 suppliers in Indiana and HMIN uses about 18 of them.
HMIN’s initial investment on its plant and facilities was a $550 million capital investment. To date, the company has paid $600,000 in real property taxes, paid about $11 million in sales taxes and paid more than $3 million in payroll taxes to the state and counties where associates reside. During the very first year, about 1,000 jobs were created in Greensburg.
Locally, the impact of Honda can be seen every day. The genesis of the factory in Greensburg spurred plans to upgrade the Interstate 74 interchange, while HMIN continues to pay for water 42 percent beyond its actual needs. HMIN has also partnered with the city’s Greensburg Fire Department and provides funding for six full-time firefighters. One firefighter is stationed at HMIN 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide emergency service to the associates and nearby community should the need arise.
Honda arrived in Greensburg and began production at the factory at a time when the global economy was souring. While it has maintained a workforce of about 1,000, the early projected plans had called for an increase in shifts and employee numbers. However, in addition to the full 8-hour shift, the factory has begun adding some Saturday shifts to meet increasing demand for their cars. Some additional Saturday shifts are on schedule for the month of November.
“Long term, it will continue to grow,” Kahle said.
