Word: honda
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Honda's Marysville operations are helping to revolutionize the way that American autoworkers view their jobs. The 3,263 workers at the plant are divided into only two job classifications -- assembly and maintenance -- compared with as many as 100 in some unionized U.S. factories. This leaves Honda workers free to perform many different functions, as dictated by the ebb and flow of the assembly line. While their $12.25 hourly wage is about $1 below the United Auto Workers average, employees and their families enjoy unusual benefits, including access to the company's gym and pool...
...U.A.W. has so far been unsuccessful in its attempts to unionize the Honda plant. A few workers at Marysville complain about the company's "almost military" adherence to schedules and procedures. But, says Roger Hammonds, a 41-year-old production coordinator, "this is the best place I've ever worked. It's the kind of job we idealized in high school. The philosophy, the job satisfaction -- it never came true for me until I came to work for Honda...
...Honda's obsession with quality is famed. Auto-industry experts point to the company's knack for designing compact, reliable engines, a legacy of its long experience with motorcycles. Honda quickly corrected a few problems on its early auto models, notably rust-prone bumpers and fenders on early Civics, and brakes that tended to fade on the first Accords. J. David Power, head of the California consulting firm that bears his name, lauds Honda's attention to owners' needs in designing its cars. He recalls one Honda design team that spent several days at a California shopping mall interviewing drivers...
...Acura model line is one of Honda's boldest gambits. Honda has tried to give the car an upscale image by insisting that dealers for the new model keep their showrooms several miles away from regular Honda outlets. The Acura Legend, a sedan slightly bigger and more powerful than the Mercedes-Benz 190, sells in the U.S. for $19,000, around $10,000 less than the Mercedes, and has % been greeted with rave notices by U.S. auto reviewers. The Legend's smaller, sportier cousin, the Integra, is priced...
...road ahead for Honda may become treacherous as competitors begin offering greater financial lures and slick new models. Most auto experts, however, consider that the upstart has now established itself as the kind of contender that much bigger U.S. automakers would do well to watch closely. One reason for keeping a close eye on the feisty company could be seen last September when Marysville changed over from building 1985 Accords to the 1986 model, a process that required a near total retooling of the assembly line. In many U.S.-owned plants, such a changeover can consume several days, even weeks...