“New chief of Honda of America Manufacturing plans painstaking approach ... - The Columbus Dispatch” plus 4 more

New chief of Honda of America Manufacturing plans painstaking approach ... - The Columbus Dispatch
Text size - Chicago Tribune
Honda N600 review: Honda's first car in America should be part of 50 ... - San Francisco Examiner
Carsales missed online ad chance: CEO - ninemsn
Fairfax missed out in online classifieds - ONE News

New chief of Honda of America Manufacturing plans painstaking approach ... - The Columbus Dispatch

Posted: 13 Sep 2009 05:37 AM PDT

Honda has a new boss in Marysville, and he has a simple message: It's time to get back to basics.

Hidenobu Iwata is the president and chief executive officer of Honda of America Manufacturing, overseeing auto production throughout North America from his central Ohio office.

He arrived in April, part of a larger management overhaul for the Tokyo-based company. Honda was feeling the effects of the recession, with sales plunging and factories with capacities that far exceeded customer demand.

Last week, Iwata, 57, sat down with The Dispatch to discuss Honda's view of the downturn and his plans for refocusing his employees' approach to their jobs. This was his first interview with a U.S. journalist.

"We have to go back to the basic fundamentals of manufacturing," he said, speaking through a translator. Like all Honda employees, he wore a two-piece white uniform. His nickname, "Hide," was sewn on the right breast pocket.

Iwata found a positive in the past months' sales decline, which prompted Honda to cut several weeks' worth of production. The downtime was valuable, he said, because it gave managers and line workers the chance to closely examine how to improve the manufacturing process and, as a result, workmanship.

In fact, keeping up Honda's reputation for quality is at the heart of Iwata's goals and already is being addressed from the top down.

While not going into specifics, he said, "There are times that there are problems because of weak management."

At the East Liberty plant, for example, top managers now conduct a weekly assessment of the quality of the products rolling off the line, removing one vehicle and dissecting it to see whether there are any shortcomings.

This rigorous inspection, a spokesman said, goes beyond anything that was done before.

The East Liberty plant is trying to improve at a time when outside observers say it already is at the top of its game. This year, the plant was named the best auto factory in the Americas by J.D. Power and Associates, a market-research firm. One of the vehicles produced there, the CR-V crossover, was rated the best in its segment in initial quality by the firm.

But no automaker can afford to rest on its laurels, said Dave Sargent, vice president of automotive research for J.D. Power. He said the market is as competitive as ever, with steady improvement in vehicle quality from nearly every company.

"If any manufacturer is standing still, they're actually going to fall behind," he said. "Even the best manufacturers, of which Honda is obviously one, and the best plants, of which East Liberty is one, have got to continue to try to improve every day and every year."

Honda is "dealing more from a position of strength" than almost every other automaker, said Jeremy Anwyl, chief executive of Edmunds.com, a Web site for car buyers.

"There's a renewed emphasis on fuel economy and the environment, both of which sort of play to traditional strengths of Honda," he said.

Honda celebrated its 30th anniversary in Marysville last week at a tree-planting ceremony with local dignitaries. What began as a motorcycle plant with 64 employees is now one of the state's largest employers, with more than 15,000 workers, most of them at assembly plants in Marysville and East Liberty.

The company waited for the anniversary to formally announce that it will produce its newest model, the Honda Accord Crosstour, at the East Liberty plant. This had been reported by several news outlets, though not previously confirmed by Honda. The Crosstour is a crossover vehicle on the Accord platform.

Although the auto industry is going through a difficult transition, Honda has no plans to diminish its presence in Ohio, Iwata said.

It has taken a step to decrease the size of its work force by offering incentives for employees who agreed to resign. This buyout offer, the first of its kind in Honda's history, was announced shortly before Iwata arrived. The number of workers who accepted the offer has not been disclosed.

The result, he said, is that the work force is now at an appropriate size for the current market.

Other changes also continue for Honda in Ohio, and are focused at the East Liberty plant, which once was the main producer of the Civic sedan. That changed last fall when a new plant opened in Greensburg, Ind., as the exclusive producer of the Civic in North America.

Going forward, the East Liberty plant will focus on crossover vehicles and sport-utility vehicles, such as the CR-V, the Element and the Accord Crosstour, Iwata said.

The Marysville plant, Honda's largest in North America, will continue to make Accords.

Although Honda is active in alternative-fuel technologies, the company said it has no immediate plans to build hybrid vehicles in North America. The Insight, a gas-electric sedan, is built exclusively in Japan.

"We recognize this is a very important item," Iwata said. "They are accumulating the know-how to produce the hybrid" in Japan. "Whether or not North America can produce this kind of vehicle depends on how we can accumulate the know-how of the production."

Iwata has worked for Honda for 31 years. He started in Japan as an engineer on the staff that maintained welding machines. He is not a stranger to Ohio, having worked from 1994 to 1997 as part of the engineering team behind the launch of the 1996 Civic at East Liberty.

He returned to Japan in 1997 as an engineering manager, rising to become president of the company's engineering division in 2005. Two years later, he was named general manager of the factory in Suzuka, Japan, that makes the Civic and Fit.

Now, he is now one of Honda's top executives. He replaced Tsuneo Tanai as head of North American manufacturing. Tanai returned to Japan to become chief operating officer for automobile operations.

Twice before, the top job in North America was a steppingstone to the top job in Tokyo. Hiroyuki Yoshino and Takeo Fukui both took that path to become leaders of the company as a whole.

Despite this, there was no fanfare when Iwata arrived. Honda's only public acknowledgment of his new position was his name on a long list of employees whose titles had changed, issued earlier this year. The big news from Honda that day was that Fukui, the CEO in Tokyo, was stepping down to be replaced by Takanobu Ito.

The low-key changing of the guard might explain why auto analysts don't yet have much of an impression of Iwata.

Regardless of who is in charge, Anwyl expects Honda to maintain its strengths in the quality of its engineering.

"They just kind of stick to what they're doing," he said.

dgearino@dispatch.com

Hidenobu "Hide" Iwata

Work history: Iwata joined Honda in 1978 as an engineer. Since then, he has risen through the ranks on the engineering side of the company, becoming a plant manager in Japan in 2007. He now is president and CEO of North American manufacturing.

Age: 57

Hometown: Born in Aichi prefecture, Japan; now lives in Dublin

Education: Master's degree in engineering from Nagoya University, Japan

Family: Married with three daughters

"We have to go back to the basic fundamentals of manufacturing."

Hidenobu Iwata
Honda of America

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Text size - Chicago Tribune

Posted: 13 Sep 2009 04:54 AM PDT

ELKHART LAKE VINTAGE FESTIVAL Road America will host the 24th annual Vintage Sports Car Drivers Association's Elkhart Lake Vintage Festival Sept. 11-13. Some 300 vintage and historic racecars from around the country will be on hand. The main gate opens at 7 a.m. daily. Admission is $75 for a three-day ticket or $15 for Sept. 11 and $30 each for Sept. 12 and 13. Kids 12 and under are free when accompanied by a paid adult. Visit www.roadamerica.com or call 800-365-7223.

DEERFIELD CAR SHOW The Deerfield Area Historical Society holds its annual Fallfest and Car Show Sept. 13. All show-quality cars from the 1970s and earlier are welcome from noon to 4 p.m. at the Historical Village. No registration is required, and admission is free. Contact scramer724@yahoo.com or 847-948-0680.

BRITISH CAR FEST The British Car Union hosts its 23nd annual Chicagoland British Car Festival Sept. 13 at Oakton Community College in Des Plaines. The festival, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., is open to all British marques, from Austin to Zephyr. Registration is $20 through Aug. 21 and $25 at the gate. Spectator admission is free. British motorcycles also will be on display. Visit www.britishcarunion.com or e-mail qualitas.jack@gmail.com.

BOULEVARD LAKEFRONT TOUR Registration is open for the annual Boulevard Lakefront Tour Sept. 13. Bicyclists can experience Daniel Burnham's dream on four routes: the 62-mile Ultimate Neighborhood, 35-mile Boulevard Tour Ride, 27-mile Beverly Cruise and 15-mile South Side Ramble. All routes s begin and end at the Midway Plaisance. Registration is $30, $25 for Active Transportation Alliance members and $12 for kids 17 and younger. Visit www.boulevardtour.org or call 312-427-3325, ext. 251.

BOAT PILOTING CLASS The Waukegan Sail & Power Squadron is offering the U.S. Power Squadron Piloting class beginning Sept. 14 at Bass Pro Shop Outdoor World in Gurnee. The class meets from 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. every Monday for 10 weeks. Fee is $60 for members and $140 for non-members (includes one-year membership). Contact the instructor Keith Baldwin at Baldwinkeith@sbcglobal.net.

MARINE ELECTRICAL CLASS The Waukegan Sail & Power Squadron is offering the U.S. Power Squadron Marine Electrical Systems class beginning Sept. 16 at Bass Pro Shop Outdoor World in Gurnee. The class meets from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. every Wednesday for six weeks. Fee is $55 members and $135 for non-members (includes one-year membership). Contact instructor Rex Miller at rexwmiller@gmail.com.

CRUISE THE BACKLOT Downtown Skokie's Cruise the Backlot events are set for Sept. 16. The free cruise runs from 6 to 9 p.m. on the Village Green (parking lot between Village Hall and library. Visit www.cruisethebacklot.com.

CAPTAIN'S LICENSE CLASSES Columbia Yacht Club is offering USCG captain's licensing classes beginning with a free orientation session at 7 p.m. Sept. 17 at the club, at 111 N. Lake Shore Drive. The classes will be held from 6 to 9:30 p.m. beginning Sept. 22 and running through Nov. 19. Tuition of $1,205 includes materials. Visit www.chicago captainsclasses.com or www.usmaritime.us or contact Capt. Fred Swastek at 773-296-6852 or capt.fred@usmaritime.us or Capt. Al Grigalunas at 312-259-5125 or capt.al@usmaritime.us.

AVANTI MEET The ChicagolandChapter of the Avanti Owners Association International is hosting the 2009 Meet Sept. 17-19 at the Hilton Lisle/Naperville. The three-day event will include a swap meet, seminars and a concours for Avantis, Studebakers, Packards and Pierce-Arrows. Contact Tom Corr at 630-267-5896 or tom@3penguinsltd.com.

CHICAGOLAND NATIONALS The third annual PEAK Chicagoland Nationals Car Show, a car show featuring hot rods, custom cars, classics, muscle cars and trucks through 1972 vintage, hits the Chicagoland Speedway Sept. 18 through 20. More than 2,000 cars are expected along with a Street Challenge Autocross, swap meet and drag racing. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 18 and 19 and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 20. Admission is $17 for adults and $ for kids age 7-12. Call Goodguys 925-838-9876 or visit www.chicagolandnats.com.

FAMOUS PUZZLER RALLYE The 11th annual Famous Puzzler Rallye kicks off with registration at 6 p.m. Sept. 19 at Woodfield Mall parking lot in Schaumburg near light pole B-2. A beginner's school starts at 6:45 and drivers meeting at 7 with the first car out at 7:15. Cost is $25 in advance and $30 at the gate with proceeds to benefit UPS for DownS, a non-profit that assists families dealing with Down Syndrome. Visit www.upsfordowns.org.

RAILROAD DAYS The Monticello Railway Museum hosts Railroad Days Sept. 19 and 20 in Monticello, off I-72 between Champaign and Springfield. Abraham Lincoln and the Leviathan, an operating 1869 steam locomotive replica, will be on hand for the festivities. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. All day tickets, with unlimited train rides, are $12 for adults and $8 for children age 2-12. Visit www.mrym.org.

KJP CAR SHOWS In conjunction with the HeritageFest West Dundee, KJP Car, Truck and Motorcycle Shows will hold a show Sept. 19-20 at Main and 2nd Streets in the suburb. Registration opens at 10:30 with a fee of $15 per vehicle. Spectators are free, with awards by 4 p.m. Call John Pullaro at 847-608-0565 or Mike Konwinski 847-895-0032 or visit www.wdundee.org.

VW-FEST 2009 The Northeast Illinois Volkswagen Association presents VW-Fest 2009 Sept. 20. Northern Illinois' largest all VW Car Show & Swap Meet runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Anderson Volkswagen in Crystal Lake. Fee is $10 per show car and $20 per swap space. Spectator admission is free. Visit www.nivaclub.org.

URBAN ASSAULT RIDE The Urban Assault Ride returns to Chicago Sept. 20. At 9 a.m. at Murphy's Bleachers, two-member bicycle teams will begin the scavanger hunt that includes obstacle courses at five checkpoints. Registration, which ranges up to $65, closes at 3 p.m. Sept. 19. Visit www.urbanassaultride.com or call 303-408-0747.

CRUISE PLANNING CLASS The Waukegan Sail and Power Squadron is offering the U.S. Power Squadron Cruise Planning class beginning Sept. 24 at Bass Pro Shop Outdoor World in Gurnee. The class meets from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. every Thursday for eight weeks. Fee is $47.50 for members and $127.50 for non-members (includes one-year membership). Contact instructor Ken Miller at kenanne@sbcglobal.net.

CORVETTE FUNFEST Mid America Motorworks holds its 16th annual Corvette Funfest Sept. 25-27 at its headquarters on U.S. 45, 2 miles north of Interstates 57 and 70, in Effingham, Ill. Some 15,000 of the sports cars are expected for show. Admission starts at $40. Call 800-500-1500 or visit www.corvettefunfest.com.

AMAZING RACE RALLYE Brand-X Rallye Team presents The Amazing Race gimmick ralley based on the TV show Sept. 26. The rallye begins at 6 p.m. with registration at Woodfield Mall, parking area B2, near the Firestone Tire Center. A free beginners' school starts at 6:30 p.m. with the first car off at 7:30. Call Kathy Thomas at 815-338-6319 or visit www.brandxrallyeteam.com.

PUMKIN DAYS The Illinois Railway Museum hosts it annual Pumpkin Days Oct. 3 and 4. Ride the trains and pick a free pumpkin. Hours at the museum in Union are 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fares are $12 for adults, $8 for kids or $45 for families. Visit www.irm.org or call 815-923-4000 or 800-BIG-RAIL (244-7245).

CYCLE SWAP A Motorcycle Swap Meet and Show is set for 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 4 at the Sandwich Fairgrounds Admission is $5 for adults and free for kids younger than 15. Vendor booths are $30. Call 630-985-2097.

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Honda N600 review: Honda's first car in America should be part of 50 ... - San Francisco Examiner

Posted: 13 Sep 2009 01:34 AM PDT

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Carsales missed online ad chance: CEO - ninemsn

Posted: 12 Sep 2009 09:23 PM PDT

Fairfax Media Ltd missed its opportunity to get into the booming online classifieds market, says carsales.com chief executive Greg Roebuck.

Carsales.com Ltd listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) on Thursday - the first major local float since the onset of the global financial crisis.

Its shares debuted at $3.92, at a 12 per cent premium to its issue price of $3.50.

Mr Roebuck told ABC's Inside Business program that Fairfax had not tried to stop the growth of carsales.com, which was now taking profit from its print classifieds business.

"They were our second largest shareholder back in 2005 and I guess they had the opportunity to increase that stake at that time and left us alone and we ended up doing a deal at the time with PBL and acquired the online assets of ACP magazines and grew our scale," Mr Roebuck said.

"That was their best opportunity and they've certainly known who we've been, all the way back even to, I would say, the late '90s, early 2000.

"They knew who we were and allowed us to get to where we got to without really trying to stop us."

Mr Roebuck said Fairfax, which recently reported an annual net loss of $380 million, had been too focused on advertising and had left carsales and other online companies to occupy the classifieds market.

"They just didn't realise that the job that they're supposed to do is to help people sell things," he said.

"I think they got confused and thought their job was to advertise things and allowed us to gain that niche and that message with consumers and we've gone from strength to strength."

Under its initial public offer (IPO), carsales.com sold 46.39 million existing shares and 350,000 new shares to investors to raise $163.6 million.

Carsales.com's largest shareholder PBL Media will retain its 49.3 per cent interest, which is held through its subsidiary ACP Magazines.

The company, which registered its carsales.com.au domain name in 1997, is now the largest online automotive, motorcycle and marine classifieds business in Australia.

Mr Roebuck said another growth opportunity for the business was to encourage more print media display advertising to shift to its online environment.

"The people that still have a large amount of their spend in print are the car companies and that's where I see a large amount of our revenue will come from in the years ahead."

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Fairfax missed out in online classifieds - ONE News

Posted: 12 Sep 2009 09:16 PM PDT

ONE News

Fairfax Media Ltd missed its opportunity to get into the booming online classifieds market, says carsales.com chief executive Greg Roebuck.

Carsales.com Ltd listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) on Thursday - the first major local float since the onset of the global financial crisis.

Its shares debuted at $3.92, at a 12% premium to its issue price of $3.50.

Roebuck told ABC's Inside Business program that Fairfax had not tried to stop the growth of carsales.com, which was now taking profit from its print classifieds business.

"That was their best opportunity and they've certainly known who we've been, all the way back even to, I would say, the late '90s, early 2000.

"They knew who we were and allowed us to get to where we got to without really trying to stop us."

Roebuck said Fairfax, which recently reported an annual net loss of $380 million, had been too focused on advertising and had left carsales and other online companies to occupy the classifieds market.

"They just didn't realise that the job that they're supposed to do is to help people sell things," he said.

"I think they got confused and thought their job was to advertise things and allowed us to gain that niche and that message with consumers and we've gone from strength to strength."

Under its initial public offer (IPO), carsales.com sold 46.39 million existing shares and 350,000 new shares to investors to raise $163.6 million.

Carsales.com's largest shareholder PBL Media will retain its 49.3% interest, which is held through its subsidiary ACP Magazines.

The company, which registered its carsales.com.au domain name in 1997, is now the largest online automotive, motorcycle and marine classifieds business in Australia.

Roebuck said another growth opportunity for the business was to encourage more print media display advertising to shift to its online environment.

"The people that still have a large amount of their spend in print are the car companies and that's where I see a large amount of our revenue will come from in the years ahead."

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