Honda Power Equipment production reaches 100 million units

Honda Motor Co., Ltd has announced today that Honda's cumulative worldwide Power Equipment production reached the 100 million-unit^*1milestone during 2011.

Honda’s Power Equipment business dates back to 1953 and is based on the original spirit of Honda -to utilise technology to help people - when an engine for agricultural equipment was launched with the aim of reducing the manual labour of farmers.

Since then, Honda has been utilising its core technology, the engine, to gradually expand its Power Equipment offering and the product line-up now includes tillers, generators, outboard engines, pumps, lawnmowers, snow blowers as well as many other products.

Honda has always been proactive in developing products in the areas of energy conservation and creation and as a result, has been increasing the diversity of its Power Equipment line-up which in certain countries 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 product production began in 1984 with the production of lawnmowers in the United States of America.

This was closely followed in 1986 by the opening of Honda France Industries which produces 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 its 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.

Honda Power Equipment – global highlights:

1953	Launch of the first Honda power product - H-Type general-purpose engine
1959	Launch of first Honda tiller - F150
1963	Exports from Japan begin (first destination: France)
1964	Micromini generator - E40 - and outboard engines - GB30 – introduced
1965	Launch of first Honda portable generator - E300
1966	Launch of first Honda water pump - W20/30
1969	Cumulative power products production reaches 1 million units
1973	Launch of first Honda rice planting machine
1976	Kumamoto Factory established
1978	Launch of first Honda lawn mower Cumulative production of generators reaches 1 million units
1979	Asaka Higashi R&D Center established exclusively for power equipment
1980	Introduction of the minitiller - “Komame”
1981	Cumulative power equipment production reaches 5 million units
1983	Power equipment production plant at Hamamatsu Factory begins
1984	Lawn mower production plant in the U.S. begins Launch of first Honda ride-on mower
1985	Cumulative power equipment production reaches 10 million units
1986	Start-up of power equipment production in France
1987	Start-up of general-purpose engine and water pump production in Thailand Launch of extra-small portable power generator - EX300
1988	Start of lawn mower production in Australia Start of generator and general-purpose engine production in India Launch of small diesel engines
1990	Imports into Japan begin of American-made Honda walk-behind lawn mowers
1992	Cumulative power equipment production reaches 20 million units
1995	Launch of in-wheel type motor Start of lawn mower engine production in Italy Start of generator production in China
1996	Establishment of power equipment sales company in Indonesia
1997	Launch of multi-directional 4-stroke engine - GX22/31 Cumulative power equipment production reaches 30 million units
1998	Testing facility for outboard marine engines opens in Shizuoka Launch of the next-generation power generators - GENE21 Series
1999	Launch of 4-wheeled electric wheel chair, Monpal ML100
2000	Cumulative power equipment production reaches 40 million units
2001	Outboard engine production plant (Hosoe Plant at Hamamatsu Factory) established Launch of the world’s largest class 4-stroke outboard engine - BF225/BF200
2002	Launch of the world’s lightest 4-stroke engine - GX25 Cumulative power equipment production reaches 50 million units
2004	Cumulative power equipment production reaches 60 million units
2006	Cumulative power equipment production reaches 70 million units Launch of all-new household compact gas engine cogeneration unit
2007	Cumulative power equipment production reaches 80 million units
2009	Launch of tiller – “Pianta” - powered by home-use butane gas canister Cumulative power equipment production reaches 90 million units
2010	Launch of “Enepo” EU9i GB - generator powered by home-use butane gas canisters Cumulative sales in Japan of the compact household gas engine cogeneration unit reaches 100,000 units
2011	Cumulative power equipment production reaches 100 million units

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