Honda Investing $95 Million in Ohio Plant

Honda has commenced a $70 million 200,000-square-foot expansion project that will create more than 100 full-time jobs and increase the plant's capabilities to manufacture Honda's latest transmission technologies when the new production line begins in 2012. In addition to the expansion, the company also announced that it is currently adding 60 jobs for the start of a second shift in early 2011, and that an additional $25 million in renovation projects are under way to increase plant flexibility.

According to a press release, Honda's investment in the plant will exceed $490 million when this latest expansion and other renovations are completed. The $70 million expansion project includes installation of a third assembly line, along with other new operations for the production of Honda's most advanced automatic transmissions, and relocation of the plant's two existing assembly lines into the new manufacturing space.

The second shift will start early next year to produce automatic transmissions for the all-new 2012 Civic that goes on sale in spring 2011. Honda manufactures Civic models for North American customers at plants in Indiana and Ontario, Canada.

Honda Transmission initially announced its expansion plans in October during the acquisition and rezoning of 60 acres adjacent to the current facility, now occupying 196 acres. Upon completion of the expansion project, the plant's manufacturing operations will encompass 933,000 square feet.

Honda Transmission currently employs 1,050 associates who manufacture transmissions and four-wheel-drive assemblies for automobiles produced at the Marysville and East Liberty auto plants in Ohio, as well as other plants in North America. The plant has the annual capacity to produce more than 800,000 automatic transmissions, 328,000 gear sets, 300,000 four-wheel-drive transfer cases and 150,000 four-wheel-drive assemblies.