South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is about as far from the image of a stereotypical, stodgy legislator as one can get. She’s dynamic, enthused, and out there interacting with the people of her state. Not just content to send out press releases from the governor’s well-appointed office, she much prefers to get in on the action, whether it’s at the shooting range, or, when we met her, behind the wheel of a new Honda Pioneer minutes after it rolled off the line.
HONDA TOWN
Timmonsville, South Carolina is a factory town and that factory is Honda. Since the plant’s opening in 1998 with an investment of 300 million dollars, over two million ATVs have rolled off the production line and onto the trails worldwide. It’s also where over 650 employees from Timmonsville and surrounding communities work, and when a major manufacturer like Honda introduces a new product line and adds jobs, it definitely gets the governor’s attention. Just like Governor Haley, we were there to see the new Honda Pioneer line first hand and to find out what the Pioneer 700 and the plant are capable of.
Officially known as Honda South Carolina (HSC), the facility operates as its own entity under the Honda family umbrella. The daily operations of the Timmonsville plant are much like any other efficient manufacturing facility, with raw materials arriving in one side of the cavernous facility, and finished products being crated up and sent out the back. In this case, that raw material is steel sheet or tubing, or sub-assemblies supplied by manufacturing partners scattered around the region. As the steel tube and sheets are bent, formed, welded and coated for corrosion protection, plastic parts are formed in giant injection molds, with all parts marching like a mechanical army towards their ultimate destination on the Pioneer main assembly line. Along the way, each process and part are continually tracked for ultimate quality control, and the employees (which Honda calls associates) all understand the importance of protecting the Honda reputation by producing quality machines. We were impressed with how each associate took pride in the product, and speaking with them along the line or in the enormous on-site cafeteria gave one a feeling the HSC plant is a very worker friendly facility. It’s on the final assembly line where the product really begins to take shape though.
The final assembly line for the Pioneer is what we would call “minimal”. There is no conveyor or track buried in the concrete, but instead each Pioneer rides a computer controlled, rising platform that follows a strip on the floor and stops at preset locations where parts are installed. On each side of the assembly line are enormous crates and parts bins full of the parts for each station and the tools required for installation. Honda also uses “smart” tools in their assembly which are preset with the correct torque settings, and they record the installation of each part as well. It’s another step in Honda’s nearly obsessive quest for quality control. At the start of the line, a shiny, painted frame begins its slow ride towards the door, and within a couple stations an engine is installed, along with the exhaust, and other internal, hard to reach components. You might say the Pioneer is built from the inside out since access to inboard components is much easier with fewer outside parts like bodywork in the way. Within a few stations, the Pioneer begins to take shape, and finally, the bodywork is installed. Soon after, an employee hops in, fires the engine for the first time, and the machine is run through a series of tests. If everything operates perfectly, the new Pioneer then rolls down a ramp and into a shipping staging area. The next stop is into a truck, and soon after, to your local dealer. It’s all part of the Honda manufacturing process, and it runs like clockwork.
MANUFACTURING POWERHOUSE
With 14 different research, design, and manufacturing facilities across North America, few companies can match Honda’s capabilities, and the possibilities for additional products and production facilities are what keep Governor Haley keenly interested in what Honda has planned.
The launch of the Pioneer 700 was unlike any other powersports product launch we’ve been to. The entire factory emptied into the Pioneer assembly area to celebrate their accomplishment and their future. Besides the hands-on associates who actually bring the Pioneer to life through their hard work, there were representatives from Honda’s engineering group, marketing team, and executives from all levels, but they all made it clear there is much more to come. We’re sure that has Governor Haley smiling, and we can’t wait to see what she rides next time.
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