LOS ANGELES — Honda Motor Co. is unifying U.S. auto manufacturing and R&D operations into a new company to respond more quickly to changing consumer tastes, as well as streamlining sales, parts and service field operations to better meet the needs of dealers and customers.
The new company, Honda Development and Manufacturing of America, will “combine all of its automobile manufacturing facilities in the U.S. related to frame, transmission and related engineering and purchasing operations,” the automaker said Friday.
The automobile product development operations of Honda R&D Americas will also be integrated into the new company. The unification of Honda’s manufacturing operations and merger with product development will take effect April 1, Honda said.
The changes “continue the journey we began last year to become a more lean, nimble and unified company in North America,” said Shinji Aoyama, North American operations chief for Honda Motor Co. and CEO of American Honda.
“Each change is vital to our ongoing effort to make Honda in America stronger and more responsive to the customer, better able to invest in advanced technology and prepared to meet future market needs,” Aoyama said in a statement.
Honda is also streamlining auto sales and parts and service field operations to better respond to dealers and customers, based on region.
“The change includes four new regional manager positions that have been created to provide oversight of Honda sales, Acura sales and parts, service and technical field operations,” Honda said. “The regional managers will become the key link between the company’s national and field operations, ensuring better alignment among all staff who call on Honda and Acura dealers and pushing decision-making authority down to local staff.”
Dave Gardner, executive vice president of national operations at American Honda Motor Co., said the new regional managers will better enable the automaker to meet local needs for vehicle inventory, marketing and other support, recognizing the geographical difference of the diverse U.S. market.