Bangkok--29 Dec--Aziam Burson-Marsteller
- Kicks off program on 27 December 2011 to scrap cars that were damaged by the flood
- Scrapping process will be completed at the Honda plant under stringent controls in an environmentally-responsible way
Honda Automobile (Thailand) today kicked off a major program to scrap cars that were affected by the flood at the Honda Automobile Plant in the Rojana Industrial Park. A total of 1,055 vehicles will be scrapped, including Brio (217 units), Jazz (213 units), City (353 units), Civic (150 units), Accord (91 units), CR-V (30 units) and Freed (1 unit). The process for scrapping the cars has stringent controls to ensure it is done in an environmentally-responsible way. The program, which is expected to be finished within one month, is a clear demonstration that customers can trust in the highest quality for new Honda cars.
According to Mr. Pitak Pruittisarikorn, Executive Vice President, Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co., Ltd., “We made every effort to protect our plant, but with the massive amount of flood water, we had to stop production on 8 October 2011. While we were able to relocate many new cars that were awaiting shipment to a safe area, 1,055 vehicles that remained in the plant were finally damaged by the flood.
“Honda has a clear commitment to delivering the highest quality to our customers. We also have a stringent process to scrap all components, spare parts and vehicles that were damaged by the flood water. We will not sell any of the damaged cars to customers, or sell or reuse any of the parts. The scrapping process will take place at the Honda Assembly Plant to ensure that no affected cars, components or spare parts are removed from the area.”
The program to scrap the damaged cars kicked off today at Honda’s New Car Delivery Center in Rojana Industrial Park. The event was witnessed by related parties including the Ministry of Industry, the Excise Department, the Revenue Department , the Office of the Consumer Protection Board, Thailand Automotive Institute, many media and Honda automobile dealers.
There are six stations in the process to scrap the Honda cars affected by the flood:
Station 1: Remove parts located at the top of the engine compartment. Remove the front hood, extract the coolant from the air conditioner, remove the air filter, drain the automatic transmission fluid , power steering fluid and brake fluid, and remove the battery, exterior plastic trim and door mirrors. These parts are separated for further proper processing.
Station 2: Drain liquids and remove parts from the bottom of the engine compartment. Engine and gearbox oil and coolant are drained. The front and rear wheels and exhaust pipes are removed. The gasoline tank is drained and removed and the engine itself is removed. All liquids are disposed of in a proper manner.
Station 3: Remove interior plastic parts and shock absorbers. In this station, various plastic parts, the shock absorbers, the radiator, cooling panels, the wire harness and the spare wheel are removed.
Station 4: Disassemble the engine and transmission.
Station 5: Scrap parts and compress body. Various engine parts and components, suspensions parts, alloy wheels, plastic parts, Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), and the front section of the body are removed. The car body is pressed into a cube in a mobile pressing machine and the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is recorded for further reference.
Station 6: Sort and recycle all scrapped pieces. For sorting and recycling, the scrapped pieces are classified into three types including:
- Bundles, which are opened up and sorted using a backhoe before sending them to the shredder. Materials are classified into three groups including steel that can be melted down for reuse; non-steel materials such as aluminum, copper, foam, plastic and rubber that can be recycled; and dirt & waste resulting from the flood that is sent to authorized landfills.
- Recycled parts including car parts that are rendered unusable and unrecognizable but for which the material can be recycled, including aluminum wheels, engine parts and various aluminum, plastic and rubber parts.
- Hazardous materials including batteries and liquids are sent to authorized treatment and recycling plants.
To ensure transparency, the Vehicle Identification Numbers of all cars that are scrapped will be publically available on Honda’s web site at www.honda.co.th as an additional way to reassure customers that all vehicles affected by the flood have not been sold.
“Honda is putting our best effort to put the Honda Assembly Plant back to normal operation as soon as possible, along with running the program activities to make Honda a company that society wants to exist, as we grow together with Thai society to help restore Thailand’s economy back to its previous strength,” concluded Pitak.
During the flooding situation, Honda’s measures to alleviate the hardship facing its employees included ensuring staff safety, while minimizing environmental impact as well as lending a helping hand to affected people. Some flood relief efforts to its affected employees include paying regular wages even though Honda plant’s production lines were stopped, offering up to 100,000 baht financial loan to affected employees.
The company also set up booms to contain oil to prevent its spread from the plant and set up a system to manage and clean up deposits of oil to ensure the water released from the Honda plant is not hazardous to the surrounding communities and the environment. Besides, Honda senior executives were also granted an audience with Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn where they humbly presented a donation of 100 million baht to benefit the Thai Red Cross Society. Other assistance provided by Honda included donations of supplies and equipment worth more than 7 million baht for various agencies’ flood relief efforts; visits to flooded areas by the Honda Technical Service Support team to offer engine checks and car care and maintenance advice; the Honda Help Line that offered customers technical service and car maintenance information; and the participation of Honda staff members in clean-up activities that cover residential, business and public areas.
About Honda Automobile (Thailand)
The Honda Automobile Plant, under the management of Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co., Ltd. is located in the Rojana Industrial Park at No 49, Moo 9, Dhanu Sub-district, Uthai District, Ayutthaya. It has 7,074 employees and a total production capacity of 240,000 units per year. The Honda Automobile Plant is a major production base for Honda Asia and Oceania, producing five Honda automobile models including the Brio, Jazz, City, Civic, Accord and CR-V, for domestic market and export to more than 30 countries worldwide.