The Japanese automaker Honda announced Thursday that it will invest $470million dollars to build its fourth plant in Mexico, which will be located in Celaya, Guanajuato, and will specialize in the production of transmissions.
Tetsuo Iwamura, executive vice president of Honda Motor, said the new factory will generate 1,500 direct jobs and will start operations in the second half of 2015.
Last year, with an investment of $800 million dollars, the company began the construction of an assembly plant also in Celaya, which will employ 3,200 people in the manufacturing sector when it reaches its maximum capacity. This plant is scheduled to start operations in the spring of 2014.
The new plant will have an initial production capacity of 350,000 transmissions per year, which will increase to 700,000 when the complex reaches full capacity.
Iwamura assured that this second plant in Celaya will be the third Honda plant in North America specialized in the production of transmissions. The executive also pointed out that the Japanese company began production in Mexico 25 years ago.
Idelfonso Guajardo, Secretary of Economy, said that the country has to consolidate an industrial policy that increases the value of national content in production chains based on two fundamental foundations: a clear financing policy to support small and medium-sized companies and an innovation policy that allows the development of national suppliers with high standards.
Guajardo also highlighted that the trade relationship between Mexico and Japan represents approximately $22,000 million dollars.
The announcement of Honda's investment took place at the facilities of the Ministry of Economy(SE), where in addition to Guajardo, Alejandro Delgado, head of ProMéxico's office, Shuichiro Megata, Ambassador of Japan in Mexico, and Miguel Marquez, Governor of the State of Guanajuato, were present.
In the first quarter of the year, Honda Motor reported a worldwide net profit of 75.7 billion yen, an amount that represented a 6.6% growth compared to the same period in 2012.
Source: (Eduardo Hernández/Mexican Business Web) http://www.mexicanbusinessweb.mx/negocios-rentables-en-mexico/oportunidades-de-negocio-en-guanajuato/honda-aumenta-sus-inversiones-en-mexico/