Honda reopens flood-hit Thailand plant

Honda Saturday reopened its flood-hit assembly plant in central Thailand nearly six months after the production line was forced to close and said the kingdom would remain a key production base. Honda Automobile (Thailand) vice president Pitak Pruittisarikorn said the plant in Ayutthaya province had been repaired quicker than expected after the floods forced it to close on October 8 last year. "All robots and machinery in the plant were replaced to ensure that our production can now run at full capacity, which is a maximum of 240,000 units per year," he said in a statement. The plant, Honda's sixth largest in the world, employs 6,400 people and exports to more than 56 countries. It was forced to scrap more than 1,000 cars which were damaged in the floods, disrupting global supply lines. Honda Motor president and CEO Takanobu Ito said Thailand was one of the company's three main Asian markets along with India and Indonesia and would remain a key production base. "Thailand has been and will remain a very important production base in the region for Honda to supply quality products to meet customer demands in these markets, as well as tap the future potential of growing markets," he said. Thailand's government has been on a charm offensive to reassure investors that the country remains a good place to do business after the months-long floods took a heavy toll on the industrial areas north of Bangkok. A recent survey showed almost one in 10 Japanese manufacturers with operations in Thailand now plans to relocate out of the kingdom.