Honda of America entered into a Project Labor Agreement with the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council for work on an ambitious project at their Marysville facility.
The $210 million project will make the Marysville Auto Plant (MAP) Honda’s most energy-efficient paint operation in the United States.
According to a Honda of America press release, the project, which began in December, will utilize a number of new technologies to significantly reduce energy consumption, water usage and chemical emissions. The new MAP Line 1 paint facility will also improve the quality of Honda Accord sedans and coupes and the Acura ILX and TLX sedans produced at the facility.
Honda, which has utilized PLA’s in the past, is once again turning to the building trades to help them complete this complex project safely, on time and on budget.
“We are grateful that Honda has chosen to enter into a Project Labor Agreement with the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council,” said Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council Executive Secretary-Treasurer Dorey Hager. “It demonstrates Honda’s commitment to use local skilled labor that will bring their project in safely, on-time, and under budget.”
Lathrop is the contractor handling the building construction, while TKS is the contractor for the paint booth project.
Hager estimates the PLA will create 350 jobs. Skilled tradesmen and tradeswomen from the state’s central region are tasked with completing the work in 27 months.
The project will ultimately shorten Honda’s painting process and reduce emissions.
The primer process will be shortened from the current 4-coat, 3-bake step to a new 4-coat, 2-bake step. In order to accomplish this feat, construction workers will build a new line that will utilize 2k waterborne primer technology that will reduce the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions such as lead, chlorine and formaldehyde by 66 percent compared to the current line.
Additionally, workers will help install new “dry-booth” technology that utilizes limestone dust instead of water to capture paint overspray. This change will reduce the amount of water used by 2 million gallons a year and will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 18 percent.
In a press release, Tom Shoupe, Executive Vice President and COO of Honda of America Mfg., Inc., said Honda is committed to delivering quality products that have a low environmental impact.
“With this new investment, our Ohio operations are once again raising the bar for quality and environmentally responsible manufacturing operations.”
The new 300,000 square foot paint facility will be able to handle 229,000 vehicles a year and will replace the existing line built in 1985. The Marysville plant’s Line 2 operation received a major renovation in 2006.
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