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Honda's Cumulative Worldwide Power Equipment Production Reaches 100 million Units
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced that Honda's cumulative worldwide Power Equipment production reached the 100 million-unit*1 milestone during 2011.
Honda Power Equipment business dates back to 1953, based on the original spirit of Honda to utilize technology to help people, when an engine for agricultural equipment was launched with passion to use Honda's engine technologies to reduce the manual labour of farmers.
Since then, Honda has been utilizing its core technology, the engine, to gradually expand its Power Equipment line up which now includes tillers, generators, outboard engines, pumps, lawnmowers, snow blowers and other products. Honda's power equipment plays an essential role in the lives of people around the world as the power to help people in various occasions.
Working toward the realization of a low-carbon society, Honda has been, especially in recent years, proactive in developing products in the areas of energy conservation and creation. As a result, Honda has been increasing the diversity of its power equipment line up which now includes a compact household gas engine cogeneration unit, and a solar power system which adopts CIGS thin-film solar cells*2.
In Japan, Honda Power Equipment products are produced at Kumamoto Factory and Hosoe Plant at Hamamatsu Factory. In regions outside of Japan, Honda Power Equipment products production began in 1984 with the production of lawnmowers in the United States of America. This was closely followed by the opening in 1986 of Honda France Industries, producing walk behind Lawn Mowers, Brushcutters and Generators for the European market. Today the factory can produce over 1,700 units a day and in 2008 celebrated production of its 3 millionth unit.
Today, Honda Power Equipment products are produced at eleven production plants in nine countries and are used regularly by people in more than 150 countries around the world, positioning Power Equipment business as one of the key pillars for Honda's business along with the Motorcycle and Automobile businesses.
Honda will continue its efforts to provide a wide-range of environmentally-responsible, safe and useful products to fulfil the increasingly diversifying needs of customers across the world.
*1 Honda's internal data: Solar cell products are not included in the 100 million units which were determined based on the number of engines produced.
*2 By using non-silicon thin film made from a compound of copper, indium, gallium and selenium (CIGS), Honda solar cells achieved a major reduction in the environmental footprint with the reduction of energy consumed during the manufacturing process.
ENDS
Major achievements of power equipment business
Year | Major achievements by Honda Power Equipment |
1953 | &9;Launch of the first Honda power product, the H-Type general-purpose engine |
1959 | &9;Launch of first Honda tiller, F150 |
1963 | &9;Exports from Japan begin (first destination: France) |
1964 | &9;Micromini generator (E40) and outboard engines (GB30) introduced |
1965 | &9;Launch of first Honda portable generator, E300 |
1966 | &9;Launch of first Honda water pump,W20/30 |
1969 | &9;Cumulative power products production reaches 1 million units |
1973 | &9;Launch of first Honda rice planting machine |
1976 | &9;Kumamoto Factory established |
1978 | &9;Launch of first Honda lawn mower ; Cumulative production of generators reaches 1 million units |
1979 | &9;Asaka Higashi R&D Center established exclusively for power products |
1980 | &9;Introduction of the minitiller "Komame" |
1981 | &9;Cumulative power products production reaches 5 million units |
1983 | &9;Power products production plant at Hamamatsu Factory begins production |
1984 | &9;Lawn mower production plant in the U.S. begins production. Launch of first Honda riding mower |
1985 | &9;Cumulative power products production reaches 10 million units |
1986 | &9;Start-up of power products production in France |
1987 | &9;Start-up of general-purpose engine and water pump production in Thailand; Launch of extra-small portable power generator, EX300 |
1988 | &9;Start-up of lawn mower production in Australia |
1990 | &9;Imports into Japan begin of American-made Honda walk-behind lawn mowers |
1992 | &9;Cumulative power products production reaches 20 million units |
1995 | &9;Launch of in-wheel type motor |
1996 | &9;Establishment of power products sales company in Indonesia |
1997 | &9;Launch of multi-directional 4-stroke engine, GX22/31 |
1998 | &9;Testing facility for outboard marine engines opens in Shizuoka |
1999 | &9;Launch of 4-wheeled electric wheel chair, Monpal ML100 |
2000 | &9;Cumulative power products production reaches 40 million units |
2001 | &9;Outboard engine production plant (Hosoe Plant at Hamamatsu Factory) established &9;Launch of the world's largest class 4-stroke outboard engine, BF225/BF200 |
2002 | &9;Launch of the world's lightest 4-stroke engine, GX25 &9;Cumulative power products production reaches 50 million units |
2004 | &9;Cumulative power products production reaches 60 million units |
2006 | &9;Cumulative power products production reaches 70 million units &9;Launch of all-new household compact gas engine cogeneration unit |
2007 | &9;Cumulative power products production reaches 80 million units |
2009 | &9;Launch of tiller, Pianta, powered by home-use butane gas canister &9;Cumulative power products production reaches 90 million units |
2010 | &9;Launch of Enepo EU9i GB, a generator powered by powered by home-use butane gas canisters &9;Cumulative sales in Japan of the compact household gas engine cogeneration unit reached 100,000 units |
2011 | &9;Cumulative power products production reaches 100 million units |
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