Global Strikes Back: Honda Halts Production In Taiwan Because of Flood In Thailand

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

After the tsunami had hit Japan, Monday morning production experts said that production must be spread over many places in the world, just to be safe. Mention this to people at Honda, and they’ll strangle you in a polite Japanese way.

The Nikkei [sub] writes that Honda will temporarily shut down its plant in Taiwan, because it is lacking parts coming from Thailand. Honda says:

“Since Honda’s production facility in the flooded part of Thailand is not operating, Honda Taiwan is affected by the discontinued supply of components. We have been adjusting our output in order to keep production going, but we are now forced to decide to halt our production here from Dec. 15.”

Honda has been the hardest hit of all Japanese carmakers in Thailand. Its plant is still under water, and there is no telling when production will resume. Parts missing abroad are mainly electronic subcomponents like computer chips, headlights, navigation systems etc. However, Honda’s plant in Thailand most likely will need a rebuild once the water recede. Keeping machinery under water for extended times has its effects.

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • Carbiz Carbiz on Dec 04, 2011

    ... yeah, that would be really bad: having Honda parts that are already partially recycled before even being installed! Indeed, Honda is the Green Car Company.

  • Daveainchina Daveainchina on Dec 04, 2011

    All i can say is my sympathies to the people affected in these countries and the businesses also. I'm guessing an awful lot of jobs are going to be lost somewhere because of these events. On the flipside, hopefully automakers will do a better job of disaster planning and the supply chain will become more robust of all manufacturers.

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