MORE POWER TO THE PEOPLE Honda, the global automotive giant is also a world leader in the manufacture of household and industrial power products. Honda’s European operations are based at Ormes, near Orleans in France, from where they export their products throughout the European markets. Philip Yorke looks at their latest achievements and the company’s next generation of multi-purpose engines.
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was to fulfil the wishes of Soichiro Honda, the founder of the Honda organisation that the company moved into the production of power products in 1953. Honda’s mission was to utilise its superior engine technology to help people perform jobs at work and at home more efficiently and to improve their quality of life. The new division was launched with a unique power product engine which became a global success. Today Honda’s power products include tillers,
portable generators, marine outboard engines, water pumps, lawn mowers and four-wheel scooters. All these diverse products incorporate patented Honda technology and achieved European sales of nearly 1.2 million units in 2010. However, it wasn’t until 1993 that Honda Europe Power Equipment (HEPE) became a fully integrated subsidiary of the Honda Motor Group. More recently, Honda Europe Power Equipment SA was reorganised as
Honda France Manufacturing SAS and in 2008 its R&D activities were transferred to Germany with its marketing and sales operations being moved to Honda UK. Today Honda France Manufacturing (HFM) is responsible for the manufacture of petrol and electrical walk-behind lawnmowers, ride-on mowers and power generators as well as hand-held trimmers and tillers. HFM supplies more than 30 countries in the European region as well as Japan for some items.
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