Power players Honda

POWER PLAYERS

Honda leads the world in the design and development of household and industrial power products. Industry Europe looks at the company’s operations in France.

Honda is a global brand that has steadily built upon its reputation for innovation and design excellence since it entered the field of power products in 1953. However it wasn’t until 1993 that Honda Europe Power Equipment (HEPE) became a fully integrated subsidiary of the Honda Motor Group. Today Honda France Manufacturing is responsible for the manufacture of petrol and electrical walk-behind lawn mowers, ride-on mowers and power generators, as well as hand held trimmers and tillers. Honda France supplies more than 30 countries in the European region as well as exporting a selected range of power products to Japan.

With increasing competition from the emerging markets and to maintain its position as the world’s number one supplier of quality power products, Honda has put even greater emphasis on its R&D programme. This has resulted in a whole new range of energy efficient, versatile power tools and products. The company’s focus on new technologies and high quality is its answer to cheap imports that are flooding the European marketplace. As an integral part of its global strategy for growth, Honda is committed to providing the best quality products for its customers, with speed and affordability combined with low CO2 emissions.

Honda Power Equipment offers more than 60 different product models in six major product families. These six categories are generators, lawn mowers, pumps, snowblowers, tillers and trimmers.

A new generation of portable power

Every year Honda produces around 50,000 compact petrol generators ranging in capacity from 0.6 – 80KVA, a large proportion of which are manufactured in France. The broad line-up of models are designed to meet a diverse range of needs, from providing an emergency power source in the event of a power failure, to out-door construction work and leisure activities. Honda has three generator product lines and is constantly raising the standard of its generators to add enhanced performance and value for its customers.

In 2012 Honda announced that it was launching its new generation of portable power generator products across all three of its product model ranges. Over three years of investment in research and development have gone into the re-engineering of its ranges, which have resulted in new technological innovations being installed in its Economy Series, the Deluxe Series and in its Industrial Series of generators. Whilst each series of Honda generators retains its own product differentiation, and each

includes advances based upon Honda’s analysis of its user segments, the entire product platform shares a number of common elements. These products also meet the latest EPA Phase III timing and guidelines, which address the latest clean air standards for emissions from engines used in non-road applications.

At last year’s GIE+EXPO trade show (2013) Honda Power Equipment introduced the EB2000i. This is an all-new 2000 watt portable generator equipped with a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) to meet the Electrical Test Lab requirements for the City of Los Angeles. Based on the popular consumer EB2000i generator model, this new model maintains the key performance attributes of the EU series unit while adding a 120V/20A GFCI receptacle, which provides greater flexibility for most work site applications.

In January this year (2014) Honda Power Equipment debuted the all-new EU7000is portable generator at this year’s World of Concrete trade show venue – adding greater power performance to its popular Super Quiet series. This new generator delivers more of what Honda generator customers have come to expect from Honda: fuel efficiency, clean power output, quiet operation and longer running times in a portable package. Ideal for a host of commercial and residential applications, the Honda is the company’s first application of electronic fuel injection to a generator, resulting in greater fuel efficiency, extremely easy starting without the need for a choke, and longer operating times than the model it replaces.

Growth in robotics

The year 2012 saw the international launch of Honda Power Equipment’s most innovative power product to date: the Honda Mimo, the world’s most advanced commercial robotic product. The Mimo offers the perfect solution for home owners who want a beautiful lawn all year round, but without having to find the time or energy to mow it themselves. This is the ultimate time and labour saving device and once installed the Honda Mimo requires minimal human interaction when working, to ensure a perfectly cut lawn throughout the length of the mowing season.

European sales of robotic lawn mowers are seeing strong growth with consumers today tending to use the garden as an ‘outdoor living room’ to enjoy the increased contact with their surroundings and the option to eat ‘outdoors’ in comfort. The Mimo robotic mower offers the ideal solution for people living busy lives who do not have the time to maintain a lawn, as well as for the ageing population who may not be able to maintain their lawn.

Honda’s Mimo operates using one of three modes: random, directional or mixed to suit the size and type of garden landscape. The Mimo can also ascend slopes and when it encounters patches of thick or long grass it will automatically reduce wheel speed whilst maintaining its blade speed in order to deal effectively with tough lawn areas.

Honda has been working on the development of robotic products since 1986 and the Honda Mimo is the company’s first commercially produced robotic device. The Mimo is manufactured by Honda France Manufacturing, in Orleans and is available from authorised Honda dealers across Europe. n