On April 14, the Japanese prefectures of Olta and Kumamoto were hit by a massive earthquake that measured 7.3 on the Richter scale. Honda Two Wheeler's Kumamoto plant took a serious hit that saw them halting production till repairs were carried out. Even the component suppliers and other supporting businesses for the plant were hit by the earthquake, so they had to do damage control as well. The Japanese manufacturer has been carrying out repairs ever since and now says that it is satisfied with the safety levels so it has resumed production at the plant now. The Kumamoto factory is responsible for production of Honda's large capacity motorcycles and also the entire off-road range.
Honda says that it was able to remove debris from most of its facilities and has completed damage assessment as well and has cleared the assembly line to resume manufacturing. Honda has also warned its dealers across the world about a shortage of motorcycle supply as production hasn't reached maximum capacity yet. Honda says that it will be mid-August before production reaches at hundred per cent capacity. Some of the models manufactured at the Kumamoto plant are the Fireblade, NC750X, VFR1200R and the Africa Twin. A large chunk of motorcycles manufactured at the Kumamoto plant is meant for export to other countries, especially the Africa Twin. This also means that Africa Twin will come to India only in the first quarter of 2017. We would have liked it to come earlier.
The other Honda plants in Japan are operating at maximum efficiency. Honda says that it is grateful towards its customers for understanding and is fully committed to continue its efforts towards a rapid recovery. Other manufacturers such as Toyota, Bridgestone, Nissan and Mitsubishi had also sustained damages at their plants and had to suspend production for some time.
