Honda's Anna Engine Plant, Shelby County

Steel engine parts that previously were imported from Japan will now be produced at Anna, increasing the Shelby County plant's role as Honda's lead engine plant in North America.

A 135,000-square-foot expansion building will house the new production for high-tech casting and machining of engine cylinder sleeves, crankshafts, camshafts, and connecting rods.

Plant manager of the Anna Engine Plant, Dan Smith, spoke about the expansion saying, "This major project has increased Honda's flexibility and speed in responding to changing customer demands in North America." 

Honda began operations in the U.S. in 1959 with the establishment of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Honda's first overseas subsidiary.

Honda began production in Ohio in 1979 and Marysville saw automobile production starting in 1982.

The company has invested more than $10.6 billion in its North America operations, including 15 major manufacturing facilities that employ more than 35,000 associates and supply 2 million products annually.

The Anna plant has produced 16.5 million engines and the current expansion project has gone beyond adding new production, said Jim Hranica, who managed the two-year expansion project.

"In addition to the new steel parts capacity, we implemented new technologies and relocated existing casting and machining lines to maximize the plant's manufacturing efficiency," Hranica said.

In conjunction with announcement of the new auto plant in Indiana in 2006, Honda of America Mfg. announced a $75 million investment at the Anna plant to move Honda-made steel engine parts for four-cylinder engines to AEP from Japan.

An additional $63 million investment increased production at the Anna plant of steel parts.

The expansion, which included the addition of new environmentally responsible technologies, also created 100 new jobs.

Honda is carefully managing its North American production flexibility and capacity to keep up with customer demand for passenger cars and light trucks.

In June 2006, Honda announced plans to build new auto and engine plants in North America to meet growing customer demand for its fuel-efficient cars and light trucks.

New Honda Auto and Engine Plants in North America:

- A new $550 million auto plant near Greensburg, Ind., will have the capacity to produce 200,000 vehicles starting with the Civic Sedan in the fall of 2008.

-A new $154 million engine plant in Canada, adjacent to the existing auto plants in Alliston, Ontario, has the capacity to produce 200,000 four-cyclinder engines. Engine production started at that plant on September 15th, 2008.

-The Anna Engine Plant will supply four-cylinder engines to the new Greensburg plant.

-At the same time, the shipment of engines from Anna to Canada will decrease as four-cylinder engine production ramps up at the new engine plant in Alliston.

-The Anna Engine Plant will continue supplying six-cylinder engines to Honda's Canadian operations.

-Engine production capacity at the Anna Engine Plant will remain the same at 1.18 million engines per year.