At a groundbreaking ceremony held today, Honda Aircraft president and CEO Michimasa Fujino and local and state government officials celebrated the imminent construction of a new 83,000-sq-ft facility at the company’s Greensboro, North Carolina Headquarters. The facility, set to open next July, will house a new service parts warehouse and wing manufacturing operation for the HondaJet.

During the groundbreaking ceremony, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper welcomed Honda Aircraft’s $15.5 million investment in the new facility and the company’s $245 million capital investment in North Carolina. The state now ranks as the second-largest aerospace cluster in the U.S., with 200 aerospace companies and 400 suppliers. “We're making the push for first,” he said. 

With the added wing manufacturing capability and new automated manufacturing technology, Honda Aircraft will have extra space for other projects. Cooper hinted that some work is under way on possible new models, although Honda Aircraft hasn’t confirmed this. “We look forward to Honda [Aircraft’s] next breakthrough,” he said. “They’re going to have some extra space, and they’re being a little mysterious about what they’re going to do with it. We know, too, that they're going to need a skilled workforce for their R & D, for their advanced manufacturing.”

Honda Aircraft employs 1,500 in North Carolina, and as the company ramps up the HondaJet assembly line from four to five aircraft per month, Fujino hopes to add more employees.

“The [new] facility will be utilized for lean production and increased production efficiency with a highly automated process,” he said. “The addition of this facility will directly translate to quicker lead times between purchase and the delivery, eventually allowing us to increase output for our customers.” 

The more than 130 HondaJets now in service worldwide have achieved a dispatch reliability of 99.7 percent, Fujino said. “This number exceeds industry norms. Developing an aircraft that is reliable is one of our five highest priorities. And this number is a testament to our commitment to quality and our dedication to prove the best service experience to all of our customers.”

Kevin Baker, executive director of the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority, thanked Honda Aircraft for its contributions to the local community. “We don't go a year without having yet another announcement for a huge improvement to this facility,” he said. “Thank you to your whole team for the continued innovation, the continued partnership, and the continued commitment to this airport, this region, and the state. Our congratulations on this next important milestone, the growth of Honda Aircraft here in our airport. And we just can't wait to see what you'll do next.”