6 • September 2023 • Powersports Business

Honda is celebrating 25 years of building powersports products at Honda South Carolina Manufacturing ( SCM ) in Timmonsville by expanding the production of its popular side-by-side models to meet growing customer demand . Since 1998 , Honda associates have produced more than four million powersports products in South Carolina .

Noriya Kaihara , president and CEO of American Honda Motor Co ., Inc . ( AHM ), and the chief officer of Honda North America Regional Operations , joined SCM associates to mark the week-long celebration of their 25th anniversary with a tree-planting ceremony representing SCM ’ s continued growth in the state of South Carolina , as well as charitable contributions to local community organizations .

SCM is the exclusive global production facility for Honda side-by-side vehicles . In 2018 , Honda announced a $ 45 million investment to enhance SCM operations to expand side-by-side production to meet strong customer demand for the Pioneer series and Talon sports models . Today , SCM has the capacity to build 100,000 side-by-side models per year , with a cumulative investment of more than $ 450 million in its operations and employment of about 1,000 associates .

“ Our Honda South Carolina Manufacturing team has accomplished a great deal over the last 25 years and we are just as excited

Now , Honda will transfer ATV production to Honda North Carolina Manufacturing ( NCM ) in Swepsonville to accelerate SCM ’ s shift to side-by-side production . Associates at NCM have welcomed the new FourTrax Rancher ATV model to its production lineup , adding to its production of TRX series ATV models .

Youth-sized model production began at NCM in late April , with production of the TRX90 , signaling the initial transition to Honda ATV production to North Carolina . Currently , the work being carried out by

NCM is primarily focused on assembly until weld and paint equipment for ATV production is transferred from SCM in the coming months . Construction for weld and paint departments at NCM will begin this fall .

“ We ’ re excited to bring ATV production to Honda North Carolina Manufacturing , and this team has done an incredible job working as one team with Honda associates in South Carolina to make it happen ,” says David Werden , assistant vice president and production division lead at NCM . “ Flexibility in manufacturing has always been key to our ability to meet the needs of Honda customers and it ’ s important that we continue to evolve our business to prepare for the future .”

Since beginning lawn mower production in 1984 , associates at NCM have built over 700 million Honda power equipment products , constantly evolving their production capabilities and products to meet customer needs . Over nearly 40 years of production , NCM has manufactured a variety of Honda products including snow blowers , string trimmers , mini-tillers , water pumps , pressure washers , generators and general-purpose engines .

By the end of September , NCM will discontinue production of lawnmowers due to market forces such as stricter environmental regulations and shifting customer preferences to become the sole producer of Honda ATVs in North America , enabling SCM to expand Honda side-by-side production to meet increasing customer demand for Honda ’ s Pioneer and Talon sports models . NCM currently employs more than 600 associates at the 700,000−square-foot plant , which represents a cumulative investment of more than $ 380 million in North Carolina .

The transition of ATV production to NCM aligns with shifts in Honda ’ s business focus that will result in greater manufacturing efficiencies and increased productivity .

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