New Delhi, Dec 14 (FN Agency) In a thrust to the ‘Make in India for the world’ objective, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India has commenced manufacturing of global engines for its 250cc and above category two-wheelers from its fourth factory in Gujarat. The company will manufacture midsize fun model engines at its plant in Vithalapur in Ahmedabad district of the state with an investment of over Rs 135 crore for both domestic and international markets, HMSI announced on Tuesday. A total of 50,000 engine units are scheduled for production in its first year and the capacity will be further scaled up as per market demand. The dedicated engine line will serve markets in Thailand, US, Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia and Gulf nations among other countries. The start of this manufacturing activity comes with Honda looking at expansion of its exports footprint across the world.
“As demand for mobility rises globally, this new expansion will allow HMSI to develop products which are at par with global standards of manufacturing and production capabilities to strengthen our direction of make in India for the world,” said Atsushi Ogata, Managing Director, President and CEO of HMSI. The global engine line-off is aimed at ramping up the company’s current exports capacity for which HMSI has introduced special processes across various manufacturing stages like machining, engine assembly and advanced storage systems. The idea is to build capability from ground up with best-in-class technology, highly skilled manpower and top quality standards, according to Ichiro Shimokawa, Chief Production Officer & Director, HMSI. With the introduction of automotive safety, emission and performance standards, the new global engine line-off will ensure integration of Honda’s export capability with that of the global auto industry.
The new infrastructure will have machining process that ensures superfinishing by lapping process, digital quality management system for seamless accuracy, e-daily work management system and 100 % traceability of parts and processes. The new engine assembly process will have precision-based laser marking for engine, 100% torque recording, advanced firing bench for engine testing, along with vertical carousels based advanced part storage system for optimised space utilisation. Other technology features are 100% database record system of all critical quality parameters, multi-level inspections for zero defect outflow, smart connected machines with latest inspection technologies coupled with special focus on associate skill development for increased efficiencies.