Opening of Honda ATV Plant in Timmonsville
25 September 1998
Federal, State and Local Dignitaries Celebrate Opening of Honda ATV Plant in Timmonsville; Community Invited To Open House Saturday To download high-resolution, print-ready JPEG images, click on the thumbnail image above. WARNING: these images are very large (800K+) Click here for caption
TIMMONSVILLE, S.C.--Sept. 25, 1998--Local, state and federal dignitaries Friday gathered with Honda associates, dealers, customers and suppliers to celebrate the recent opening of Honda's seventh U.S manufacturing plant.
Gov. David M. Beasley and Sen. Fritz Hollings attended the grand opening of Honda of South Carolina Mfg. Inc. (HSC), which builds all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) for the U.S. and world markets.
The 280,000-square-foot plant is located on a 500-acre site in Florence County, S.C., near Timmonsville and represents a $40 million Honda investment in the community. It has an initial daily production rate of 240 units. A second shift will be added in February 1999, enabling HSC to reach an annual 100,000-unit capacity. At full production, the plant will employ approximately 600 associates.
Beasley toured the facility, which features advanced and environmentally sensitive production technology including a powder-coat paint process and robotic cell welding. Beasley offered his congratulations to Honda for its decision to locate the ATV plant in South Carolina and to the Honda associates currently employed at the plant.
"From now on, South Carolina will be known as the place that builds the best Honda products anywhere," Beasley said. "We appreciate Honda's commitment to our state and want them to know our doors are always open."
"When Honda announced last year, we knew it would be a major achievement for our state. There will be no stopping when Honda's quality products meet our skilled workforce," said South Carolina Secretary of Commerce Robert V. Royall.
Koichi Amemiya, president of American Honda Motor Co. Inc., said that the opening of HSC was another vital step in the company's commitment to producing products in the markets where it sells them.
"We strive to set the highest standards in the design and manufacturing of all Honda products," Amemiya said. "It is great to see our South Carolina associates' commitment to Honda quality represented in their daily work."
As part of the plant's celebration activities, HSC will open its doors to the community-at-large on Saturday, Sept. 26. Friends, families and dealers are invited to visit and tour the plant.
Honda also manufactures ATVs at its Marysville, Ohio motorcycle plant. ATV production will total approximately 170,000 units in the United States this year and up to 20 percent of this production will be exported to growing ATV markets around the world. Over the past six years, the U.S. ATV market has more than doubled to approximately 365,000 units, with Honda holding 30 percent of this market.
Today, ATVs see a wide variety of expanded uses including farming, ranching, hunting, safety patrols and recreation. Their maneuverability, towing capabilities, all-weather use and ease of operation give them a distinct advantage over larger vehicles. In addition, Honda ATVs have high flotation tires making them suitable for environmentally fragile areas.
Honda employs more than 20,000 associates in North America and has invested more than $4 billion in its North American manufacturing and R&D operations. HSC is Honda's seventh U.S. and tenth North American manufacturing plant. Other facilities include the motorcycle plant, two automobile plants, an engine plant and a transmission plant, all located in Ohio, and a lawn mower plant in North Carolina.
The HSC grounds and facility, located at 1111 Honda Way, Timmonsville, S.C., will be open to the public Saturday, Sept. 26, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Music, entertainment, lunch and plant tours will be available.
Directions: From Florence, S.C., or Interstate 20, travel south on Interstate 95 to Exit 153, Honda Way. Turn right and proceed directly to the HSC gates at 1111 Honda Way, visible from the exit ramp.