Six Months Later, Honda Reopens Flood-Stricken Thai Plant
Honda, along with other Japanese carmakers, recovered within weeks from a devastating earthquake , tsunami and nuclear meltdown. Nevertheless, Monday morning production strategists pestered the Japanese why they had not relocated to safer grounds. It took Honda half a year to recover from a killer flood that had inundated those safer grounds.
Today, Honda reopened its automobile plant in Thailand. It was closed for six months due to severe flooding. According to The Nikkei [sub], Honda had to replace a lot of damaged equipment. After a cautious start, the plant is expected to be at its full 1,000 units per day by mid-April.
The plant north of Bangkok is Honda’s largest production hub in Southeast Asia. The plant also a strategic export base for vehicles and parts.
Other Japanese automakers in Thailand recovered quickly after parts supply was restored. The Honda plant was directly hit and flooded for many months.
A few days before the reopening, Thailand’s Minister of Industry had to deny rumors that Honda would leave Thailand. These rumors were triggered by Honda’s investment into Indonesia.
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.
More by Bertel Schmitt
Comments
Join the conversation
"Uther Japanese automakers in Thailand recovered quickly" should probably be "Other Japanese automakers..."