Honda Motor Company is a Japanese manufacturer of motorcycles and automobiles. It was founded in 1948 and began as a motorcycle producer, later expanding into automobile manufacturing in 1963. Honda has manufacturing facilities in India, including two car production plants. The first plant was opened in 1997 and produces models like the Honda City and Brio. The automaking process involves pressing body panels, welding the parts together into bodies, painting the bodies, and final assembly of all components into finished vehicles.

1. OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
IN
Submitted to : Submitted by:
Mr Partha Dhiraj Singha Bose Ankit Chauhan
Mba sem2
A30101913143

2. COMPANY PROFILE
Honda Motor Company, Ltd., Japanese Honda Giken Kōgyō KK, leading Japanese
manufacturer of motorcycles and a major producer of automobiles for the world market.
Headquarters are in Tokyo.
The engineer Honda Soichiro founded the Honda Technical Research Institute
near Hamamatsu in 1946 to develop small, efficient internal-combustion engines. It was
incorporated as Honda Motor Company in 1948 and began producing motorcycles in 1949. The
Honda C-100, a small-enginemotorcycle, was introduced in 1953 and by 1959 was the largest-
selling motorcycle in the world. In 1959 the company also established a U.S. subsidiary,
the American Honda Motor Company, which began producing motorcycles in the United States
in 1979 and automobiles in 1982.
While Honda is a world leader in producing motorcycles, the bulk of the company’s annual sales
comes from automobiles, which the company began manufacturing in 1963. Among its
lightweight, fuel-efficient passenger cars have been the popular Civic and Accord models. The
company’s other major product areas include farm machinery and small engines. Honda is a
major Japanese exporter to the United States and to other parts of the world. It also has assembly
plants in a number of other countries and is engaged in joint ventures and technology-licensing
agreements with several foreign companies.
HCIL’s first manufacturing unit was set up at Greater Noida, U.P in 1997. The green field
project is spread across 150 acres and has an annual production capacity of 100,000 units. The
company’s second manufacturing facility is in Tapukara, Rajasthan. This facility is spread over
450 acres and currently has a state-of the art Power train and Press shop. The first phase of this
facility was inaugurated in September 2008.
The company’s product range includes Honda Brio, Honda Amaze, Honda City and Honda CR-
V which are produced at the greater noida facility. Hondas models are strongly associated with
advanced design and technology, apart from the established qualities of durability, reliability and
fuel efficiency.

3. Facilities
HCIL's first manufacturing unit at Greater Noida commenced operations in 1997. Setup at an
initial investment of over INR4.5 billion, the plant is spread over 150 acres (0.61 km2). The
initial capacity of the plant was 30,000 cars per annum, which was thereafter increased to 50,000
cars on a two-shift basis. The capacity has further been enhanced to 100,000 units annually as of
2008. This expansion led to an increase in the covered area in the plant from 107,000 m² to over
130,000 m².
The company invested INR7.8 billion in Bhiwadi for its second production plant with an annual
production capacity of 50,000 units.[2] It operates under the ISO 9001 standard for quality
management and ISO 14001 for environment management.
Honda setup its Third plant in India at Tapukara in Alwar District of Rajasthan, spread over 450
acres with an investment of ₹3526 crores.
Models
HCIL produces the following vehicles in India for local and export markets:
 Honda City (Launched 1998)
 Honda Accord (Launched 2001, Production discontinued in 2013)
 Honda Civic (Launched 2006, Production discontinued in 2012)
 Honda Jazz (Launched 2009, Production temporarily discontinued in early 2013 in anticipation of all-new model)
 Honda Brio (Launched 2011)
 Honda CR-V (Imported since 2003; 2013 model locally assembled)
 Honda Amaze (launched April 2013)

4. Plant layout
Car manufacturing process
Car Plant 1
HUM's first car plant was opened on 10th October 1992 and has a production capacity of
150,000 cars per year. Operating on a two shift basis, the line comprises Weld, Paint, Assembly
Frame, Material Logistics and Vehicle Quality. This is supported by other departments including
Press and Plastic Operations. Car Plant 1 currently produces both the CR-V and Jazz models.
Car Plant 2
HUM's second car plant took a total of 21 months to complete from design through to
construction. Opened in 2001, it underlines Honda's commitment to car manufacturing in the
UK. It also marked a significant milestone in the company's growth plans for Europe by
increasing annual production capacity from 150,000 to 250,000 units. Car Plant 2 currently
produces the new Civic model.

5. Press Division
Key information
 April 1995 - mass production started
 Production capacity - 14.75 million shots per year
 18 million car parts produced per year
 All excess metal is sent for recycling
The process
 The car manufacturing process begins in the Press Division where we press the body
panels for the cars built on site. To start with we receive blanks: flat metal sheets that
have already been cut into the basic shape of the panel. These are then loaded onto the
press:
 The first press draws or forms the panel
 The second press trims the panel to remove excess metal
 The third press bends the panel to create flanges for later processes
 The fourth and final press pierces holes for other fittings
 The panels are then inspected and transferred to automatic storage before being delivered
to the Weld Department in Car Plants 1 and 2.

6. Material Logistics Division
Key information
 Over 200 lorry deliveries per day
 10,000 containers are handled per shift
 41 tow trucks and 17 forklifts utilised
The process
 The main function of Material Logistics is to receive and deliver parts for the Weld,
Assembly Frame and Paint Departments on a ‘just in time’ basis, two hours before they
are fitted. While some parts are received from multiple local distribution centres, wheels,
seats, door linings and engines are received on a synchronised basis directly from
suppliers.
 Large parts are delivered to fitment points on an electronic monorail system. Parts are
also delivered to the line-side via tow trucks following ‘first in first out’ principles.
Empty returnable packaging is removed from line-side, sorted and taken to a specific
distribution centre for return to our suppliers.
 Material Logistics is also responsible for maintaining the accurate inventory control of
production parts. This is supported by zone controllers who regularly undertake parts
cycle counting.

7. Weld Division
Key information
 Over 300 welding and handling robots
 Around 2,200 spot welds are performed by the robots per car body
 One vehicle body is produced every 85 seconds
 650 bodies in white produced per shift
The process
 The Weld Department produces complete welded car bodies from panels supplied both
by our own Press Department as well as external suppliers.
 The process begins with the right and left wheel houses welded to the lower dash and
front bulkhead to form the complete engine compartment. This is then combined with the
front and rear floor assemblies to make the floor complete.
 The right and left side panels are sub-assembled and transferred to the General Welder
(GW). This is the heart of the department where the parts that have been produced within
the various areas (side panels, floor, roof, upper dash and rear parcel tray) come together
and the GW welds all the parts together to produce a completed body.
 The car body is then transferred to a manual line for additional welding and door hinge
installation. In the final part of the process, the doors, tailgates, fenders and bonnet are
fitted and the body undergoes a series of final quality checks. The completed body is then
transferred by the lift conveyor to the Paint Department.

8. Paint Division
Key information
 Capability to paint over 1,000 cars per day in a broad spectrum of colours, complete with
in house moulded bumpers
 HUM has one of the fastest bumper moulding operations in the world, producing
components every 42 seconds
 At any one time, over 800 car bodies, of three different model types, are being worked on
in the Paint Division
The process
 The main objectives of the Paint Division are to provide vehicles with a high gloss,
attractive, colourful finish, with a long term durable resistance to corrosion.
 Honda completely immerses the car bodies in powerful chemicals to prepare the steel for
painting. Following this, corrosion proof paint is applied to every metal surface both
inside and out. All of the panel joints are sealed to guarantee they are watertight before
the final colour paint layers are applied, utilising state of the art robots.
 Whilst the car bodies are being painted, the Plastic Operations Department are moulding
and painting bumpers and other smaller components which will all be brought together
for installation on the final assembly line.

9. Plastic Operations Division
Key information
 3,000 parts a day are produced by the injection moulding process
 An average of 1,700 bumpers are made per day
 The bumper mould has a 42 second cycle time - the fastest in the world
 90 minutes cycle time in bumper paint line
 Waterborne paints are used and any waste bumpers are recycled
The process
The Plastic Operations facility was officially opened in February 1998 and supplies bumpers to
both car plants. Within the department, raw unpainted bumpers are received from injection
moulding and three paint layers are applied in two stages. The first stage is sprayed by robots,
while the second (and most important) stage is sprayed manually by highly skilled associates.
This ensures a consistent and high quality paint application.

10. Assembly Frame Division
Key information
 24,000m2 Assembly Frame Division in Car Plant 1
 15,000m2 Assembly Frame Division in Car Plant 2
The process
 The body shell is received from our Paint facility and begins the process of
transformation into the finished product. Components are physically installed onto the
painted body while larger components such as the dashboard, doors and engine are pre-
assembled in sub-assembly areas next to the main line.
 Although the cars are painted with their doors on, one of the first processes in Assembly
Frame is to remove them. The doors are then transferred to a sub-assembly area before
being re-united with the car during the final stages of production. This is done to improve
safety, quality and production speed. The doors also contain a variety of components
which can be fitted more rapidly when they are removed from the body.
 With the doors still removed, the cars are transferred on to the trim conveyor. Various
processes are carried out here including fitting the wiring harness, roof lining and
instrument panel. To save space, many parts travel by overhead conveyor to the correct
location on the production line.
 Next the cars transfer to an overhead conveyor where the bumpers, fuel lines and exhaust
assemblies are fitted. Then the engine is fitted and the suspension and steering
components are precisely aligned. Wheels and tyres are put in place and the front and rear
windscreens are installed.
 The cars are now entering the final stages of assembly. The carpets, seats and doors are
installed and fluids (including screen wash, coolant and brake fluid) are filled. Each car
also receives enough fuel for it to be driven off the production line straight into the
Vehicle Quality Department for inspection.

11. Vehicle Quality Division
Key information
 Each vehicle is statically and dynamically inspected
 Every car is dynamically tested down a purpose built onsite Test Track
The process
Every car entering the Vehicle Quality Department goes through a five stage process:
Initial Vehicle Inspection. Completed vehicles are taken through a series of quality verification
processes to make sure that a range of dynamic, functional and cosmetic quality standards are
met. These checks include the engine bay, wheel alignment, brake performance, chassis, water
leakage, emissions and track tests.
Sampling Inspection. A series of specific confirmation processes are performed, with pre-
determined aspects analysed to ensure that current production meets agreed homologation and
conformance of production requirements.
Pre-Delivery Preparation. A final series of quality verification processes are carried out to
ensure that vehicles passed to our customers consistently meet Honda’s high quality standards.
Analysis: This provides data that helps us maintain a consistent quality approach to all our
completed vehicles.
Complete Inspection Certificate: A legal record of each manufactured vehicle, which is
retained for future reference.

12. Engine manufacturing
Key information
 Produced our first engine in 1989
 The plant has the capacity to produce 1,000 engines per day
 Only Honda assemble both petrol and diesel engines on the same line
 More than 500 associates work across three different shift patterns
The process
The engine production process is made up of seven separate sections:
 High Pressure Die Casting
 Low Pressure Die Casting
 Machining and Tooling
 Engine Assembly
 Engine Material Services
 Engine Quality

13. Supply chain management process
Bibliography:
www.hondamanufacturing.co.
www.google.co.in
www.honda-engines-eu.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda