[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21266]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HONDA MARYSVILLE PLANT AND THE 
                  FIRST AMERICAN PRODUCED HONDA ACCORD

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID L. HOBSON

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 31, 2002

  Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 20th 
anniversary of a momentous event in the history of Central Ohio and 
specifically, in the town of Marysville, Ohio, which is in my 
Congressional district.
  In October of 1982, Honda auto company opened its first automobile 
assembly plant in the United States in the town of Marysville in Union 
County. Soon after, the first Honda Accord rolled off the assembly line 
and began a new chapter in the manufacturing history of Ohio. The 
construction of the extensive assembly facilities in Marysville 
followed the company's long-standing policy of producing products in 
the markets where they are sold.
  For 20 years now, Honda has demonstrated its commitment to 
Marysville, to Ohio and to the country. In 1988, Honda produced its 
first car for export to Japan. By 1994, Honda produced 100,000 cars for 
export. In 1995, Honda was the recipient of the Ohio Governor's 
Exporter of the Year Award. In two years, Honda will produce more 
vehicles in North America than in Japan.
  In 1982, Honda's 400 Marysville associates assembled 968 Accords. By 
the next year, 55,337 Accords came off the plant's assembly line. In 
2001, an astounding 456,348 Accords and Acura TL's were shipped from 
Marysville. Given the $2.3 billion investment in the Marysville 
facility, it is no surprise that Marysville is now the company's 
largest automobile plant in the United States.
  This year, Honda launched the seventh-generation Accord, which has 
become one of the best-selling cars in America. This coincided with the 
introduction of a new and more efficient manufacturing system at the 
Marysville plant to improve efficiency and worker safety.
  Put simply, the Honda assembly plant in Marysville has become a 
cornerstone of Ohio's manufacturing base. In addition to providing 
employment for thousands of Ohioans, the Marysville plant has 
consistently been on the cutting edge of automobile innovation and 
Honda has been an outstanding corporate citizen.
  As Ohio's Seventh District Representative to the Congress of the 
United States, I take this opportunity to publicly recognize the 
associates at the Marysville Honda assembly plant for reaching this 
important milestone, and honor the company's 20 years of commercial 
investment in Marysville.

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