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American
Honda's 2012 Foreman 500 Production Begins in
Celebration
::Continued::
In 2000, die cast and machining was added to
production, while in 2002, 120 acres and a test
track were added to the facility, and in 2004,
the manufacturing giant began to produce their
own aluminum wheels for their ATV’s. The
plant itself now boasts 536,150 square feet and
is the location where the Rancher, Foreman, Recon,
Rubicon, and Sportrax lines are built and is capable
of producing 266,000 ATV’s and 310,000 engines
annually, which is a big step up from the 50,000
units that were originally produced in 1998.
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HSC facility
has several 1,000+ pound injection molding
presses to produce the plastic fenders
for the ATVs
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Over the years the plant has become all-inclusive
as everything from fenders, to injection moldings,
cylinder casting, frames and welding and even
their own wheels are made in-house. With all of
the work done at the plant, it has provided many
jobs for South Carolina residents with 567 employees,
and is a pillar in the small community of Timmonsville
and the surrounding towns of Florence and Darlington.
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HSC has an
advanced aluminum wheel production operation,
which reached the 500,000 mark in 2007
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The
Honda South Carolina plant also sand cast
the engine cases, cylinders & heads
in house for assembly |
Aside from providing many jobs, the HSC plant
also sets high standards for safety in order to
ensure their workers are protected. The plant
has set many safety records with it hitting 4
million hours without an accident in 2006, and
received the South Carolina Large Manufacturer
of the Year award in 2008 and the Manufacturer’s
Alliance award for below average injury cases.
In addition to safety the plant has taken measures
to become more environmentally friendly as well
by recycling and using returnable ATV shipping
crates.
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HSC facility
not only manufacturers parts, it also
assembles the ATVs from the frame to the
ready to ride ATV that are tested on an
indoor course before being crated &
shipped off to dealers in the USA and
beyond
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With our tour complete and now being well versed
on the history of the HSC facility, we are really
looking forward to the next segment of our visit,
which is scheduled for tomorrow and includes a
test ride of the new 2012 Honda Foreman 500. We
can’t wait to throw a leg over this American
made ATV and see what improvements the folks at
American Honda have made to this staple in the
Honda utility lineup.
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