2006 Harbour Report Expands With New Honda, Nissan, Toyota Plants

TROY, Mich., May 22, 2006 -- Harbour Consulting, a manufacturing and management consulting firm and publisher of The Harbour Report North America, will include expanded data from Honda Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. in the 2006 edition of its annual analysis of plant floor productivity.

Ron Harbour, president of Harbour Consulting, and Michelle Hill, Harbour's director for North American benchmarking, will present findings from this year's report to the Automotive Press Association at 10 a.m. June 1 at the Detroit Athletic Club.

This year's report will include data and analysis on four assembly plants not previously evaluated: Honda's Alliston, Ontario, No. 1 and Lincoln, Ala., No. 1 assembly lines; Nissan's Canton, Miss., plant; and Toyota's two assembly lines in Princeton, Ind.

"The expanded participation from Honda, Nissan and Toyota enables a more comprehensive evaluation of their North American manufacturing and enhances The Harbour Report's value as a competitive benchmarking tool," said Hill.

The Harbour Report North America is the authoritative guide to automotive manufacturing in North America and is a leading competitive analysis tool used by automakers and suppliers to benchmark performance, develop strategies and improve operations.

Each year The Harbour Report brings new plants into the scope of its analysis. In recent years, these additions have included Honda's No. 2 assembly line in Alliston, Ontario, Nissan's engine plant in Decherd, Tenn., and Toyota's engine plants in Huntsville, Ala., and Buffalo, W. Va.

DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. have included all their North American manufacturing facilities in The Harbour Report North America since 1989.

Now in its 26th year, Harbour Consulting continues to grow both the benchmarking and consulting sides of its business. The credibility of Harbour's productivity research has created numerous opportunities to help a wide range of companies compete successfully in the domestic and global marketplace.

In the coming year Harbour will launch competitive benchmark studies of automakers in South America and heavy-duty truck manufacturers in North America and Europe. Results of those studies will be shared privately among the participating companies.

More information about The Harbour Report North America and Harbour Consulting is available on the company's website, http://www.harbourinc.com/ .