Honda opens $85 million logistics expansion in Lincoln

Honda cut the ribbon on an $85 million expansion, with two additions at the Line 1 and Line 2 operations today, adding another 400,000 square feet to its Lincoln complex.

The addition is part of the multi-phase Project RCX, which plant officials say will position Honda’s Talladega County operations to manufacture vehicles for the next generation of the auto industry.

Late last month, Honda announced another $54.8 million expansion at the plant, which will add more than 50,000 square feet to its Line 2 operations. The project is expected to be finished in early 2021.

Honda Manufacturing of Alabama Vice President Mike Oatridge said the additions, which each flank the original plant layout, give Honda the ability to modify its existing operations without interrupting daily production.

For the future, it means Honda can prepare for new technologies, manufacturing lighter weight vehicles and meeting stronger government emissions and mileage standards.

The addition opened today will provide logistical support. When Honda began manufacturing the Odyssey mini-van in 2001, it required more than 1,000 different parts from suppliers. Today, that number is four times as high.

That means that about 4 million parts arrive at the plant every day, some just hours before they are installed into vehicles coming down the assembly line. Getting the parts to their precise place on the line at the right time can present a myriad of challenges.

That’s what makes the addition critical, plant officials said.

Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield, who attended the opening, said when Honda revealed its plans last year, the timeline seemed aggressive. But it “needed to be,” he said.

“It’s exciting,” he said. “It shows the leadership of Honda and it’s what sets this facility apart.”