Honda asks for teamwork and gives success

Jim Cummings

June 28, 2006 07:56 am

— A corporation like Honda doesn’t become a major international success without making some solid decisions along the way. This inspires a look at exactly why the automaker chose Decatur County as its new home.
The logistics, like having three suppliers - Valeo, GECOM and STI locally, the county’s proximity to Indianapolis and Cincinnati and a site suited for a manufacturing plant are just part of the puzzle. There is, as always, a human element to the story.
While it is reported four states were courting Honda, executives say the incentives offered by state government never played a part in the decision making process.
Edward Miller, Honda’s senior manager of public relations and government affairs, touched on the more esoteric reasons for the choice when he sat down Tuesday afternoon with the Daily News.
“This is a welcoming community. Honda wants to be in a place where it’s welcome,” he said. “We could see that was the case with the remarkable amount of outreach this community did. It’s important for Honda to be a company society wants to exist.”
That mantra came out in all of the discussions and information released by Honda. For them, it’s community first.
“We are more people-centered than most companies. Even the robotics in our assembly process aren’t as prevalent as in other manufacturers,” Miller said. “Teamwork is the philosophy we build quality products around.”
So, what about Decatur County stood out to the Japanese firm.
Larry Jutte, vice president of parts and procurement for Honda, touched on the issue during his speech this morning at the Greensburg Community Learning Center.
“Even this former school reminds me of growing up with strong community values. On the wall, of the front hall of this building, is a message that describes the mission of the Learning Center. It says “A world of opportunities.” I think this is also an appropriate perspective for our new plant in Indiana. Our goal is to create opportunities for our customers and, at the same time, for the people of Indiana and throughout the Midwest.”
Those opportunities include job security. Honda North America boats a record of 27 years in business without ever suffering a layoff. The Decatur County location will be the sixth auto plant and Honda’s 14th major plant overall in North America. The 200,000 cars expected to be produced locally, beginning in 2008 with plant construction expected to begin in a few months, will bring Honda’s American production to 1.6 million units annually. That is 80 percent of all the vehicles they sell in North America.
The additional employees will boost Honda’s North American workforce to more than 37,000 associates and its investment to more than $9 billion.