Honda starting up 1,000-worker shift at Ind. plant

[webby]

Honda starting up 1,000-worker shift at Ind. plant

GREENSBURG, Ind. -- Honda is set to start up a second production shift this month at a factory in southeastern Indiana that builds the Civic sedan and its alternative-fuel counterpart, after hiring nearly 1,000 new employees.

The new shift is scheduled to begin at the Greensburg factory on Oct. 24, a move Honda ( HMC - news - people ) officials say will double the plant's workforce and its annual production to 200,000 vehicles.

Factory spokeswoman Anita Sipes said Wednesday that the new workers had been hired in phases over the last couple of months.

"They are all right now training on the line, learning their processes," Sipes told The Associated Press. "On the 24th, the shifts will split and we'll be building double."

Honda announced plans in May for starting the additional shift in Greensburg by year's end. The company said it had expected that production level since the factory opened in 2008 in the city about 40 miles southeast of Indianapolis, but that those plans were delayed by the recession.

Honda Motor Co. cut production in half at the Greensburg plant and elsewhere after the March tsunami that struck Japan interrupted the flow of auto parts to its U.S. factories. Sipes said the Greensburg factory returned to full production in September and that no workers were laid off during the slow-down period.

The increased output will include additional production of the Civic Natural Gas, formerly the Civic GX. The Greensburg plant began mass production of the 2012 model on Tuesday and it is the only place in the world where Honda is building that vehicle, using engines from the company's plant in Anna, Ohio.

Sipes declined to say how many alternative-fuel Civics are expected to be built at the factory, but said it would be about four times more than before. The company said it is expanding from 72 Honda dealers in four states selling the natural-gas model to nearly 200 dealers in 36 states.

 

[jasonandre]

Somebody, call them quickly. They're building the wrong model.

 

[Dar-Dar]

I wonder if they are still hiring. I'm graduation this May.

 

[KennyGS]

Somebody, call them quickly. They're building the wrong model.

 

[webby]

I wonder if they are still hiring. I'm graduation this May.

what kind of work do you want?

 

[Dar-Dar]

Either project design or basic engineering work.

 

[webby]

Either project design or basic engineering work.

http://corporate.honda.com/careers/find-a-job.aspx
do a search - or scroll down a ways. It lists various job openings on there

 

[Dar-Dar]

Holy sh*t! They have a few locations in NJ. Thanks alot Webby. I'm definitely applying for these!

 

[webby]

no problemo sir... the Columbus, OH area would probably have quite a few jobs as there are numerous divisions setup around there.

 

[webby]

here you go

locations for honda facilities -

 

[Dar-Dar]

Yeah, the main mfg is in Ohio, but I'm not ready to move out of state yet. I will need to fully pay off my school loans first while living with my parents...or should I say "roommates" (Grandma's Boy reference).

 

[Nix]

Nice. But where is the new type-r turbo plant being built? Oh right... on the tail of a magical unicorn in europe......

 

[Dar-Dar]

^Lol. That's a different division.

 

[Nomar06]

I like unicorns!!!!

 

[webby]

 

[bootyluvr]

Somebody, call them quickly. They're building the wrong model.

He does post!!

 

[webby]

 

[webby]

update :

Honda adds 1,000 workers, second shift in Indiana


Honda Motor Co. said Monday it has added 1,000 new workers to staff a second shift at its factory in Greensburg, Ind., where the Civic compact car is made.


The added shift increases production at the factory to 200,000 cars per year, and is the latest sign that Honda production is returning to normal after being disrupted by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.


Earlier in the year, Honda's U.S. production was cut severely due to parts shortages from Japan. The earthquake and tsunami damaged factories and knocked out electricity to parts supply companies. The Civic, new for 2012, is the last Honda car to return to normal production

Honda began hiring workers for the plant in June, with training taking place during the past few months.

Gasoline-powered and natural gas-powered Civics are made at the plant.

Honda said that last year, more than 87 percent of the Honda and Acura vehicles sold in the U.S. were built in North America.

 

[KennyGS]

 

[webby]

An increase in production at Honda of America Manufacturing's Indiana and Marysville plants has led to hiring at Marion companies that supply parts.

Marion Industries Inc. is hiring 75 employees as it adds a third production shift, and U.S. Yachiyo Inc. also is hiring, said officials at the two plants in the Dual Rail Industrial Park.
Honda Manufacturing of Indiana LLC in Greensburg, Ind., is adding about 1,000 employees as it begins a second production shift for the first time, said Ron Lietzke, Honda of America spokesman.

Honda's Marysville plant in Ohio also will renew a second shift on one of its production lines, which will create about 100 jobs by the end of this year, Lietzke said.
In Marion, Marion Industries is hiring through Marion Connections at 622 Leader St. The plant on Kellogg Parkway manufactures products for Honda only.
Myron Crowell, general manager at Marion Industries, said the expansion at the Indiana plant "impacts us directly."

Crowell's company assembles brakes for Honda's Indiana, Marysville and East Liberty plants.

U.S. Yachiyo manufactures fuel tanks for Honda, 46 percent of its product going to Honda's Indiana plant, said Ray Sanders, U.S. Yachiyo vice president of manufacturing operations.
"It'll be as Indiana goes up, our supply will go up, and we'll supply accordingly," Sanders said. "We have been hiring."

He didn't provide numbers, but urged "qualified labor" to visit his company's plant at 1177 Kellogg Parkway. "The market for qualified labor is very tight." Honda employs 513 Marion County residents at its auto plants in Marysville and East Liberty and engine plant in Anna. Honda suspended a second shift at its Marysville plant in 2008, reducing staffing through voluntary retirement and special voluntary separation. Lietzke said the company's forecast is for better days.

"What we're seeing in the mid- to long-term is the recovery of the automotive industry," he said. The Indiana Honda plant is increasing its production to 200,000 Civic Sedans and alternative-fuel Civic Natural Gas vehicles.

Marion Industries laid off employees from April through June as a result of Honda production cuts resulting from the tsunami this year. Employees were called back in July, Crowell said.
The hourly wage for the new jobs at Marion Industries is $11.50, according to the Marion Connections website. Honda's increased production demanded a welcome increase in production at his plant, he said.

"I think it's a great opportunity for Marion Industries and the City of Marion to allow us to hire more associates and provide employment for associates that have been laid off ... in the Marion area," he said.

Regarding Honda's optimistic outlook for the automotive industry, Sanders said, "We're taking a conservative viewpoint of wait and see. I don't think we're going to see anything dramatic happening until the political environment stabilizes," he said, adding "after the election."

Lietzke said the effect Honda has on its suppliers' production is simple. "The point is certainly they've got to increase their production levels to meet our increasing purchasing from them," he said. Honda Manufacturing of Indiana has 225 parts suppliers, including 74 in Ohio.