Honda To Evaluate Shipping Options After Port Shutdown

Autoparts Report, Nov 19, 2002

Honda Motor Co. Ltd. is evaluating its options for the shipment of vehicles and parts into the U.S. in light of the West Coast dock labor dispute last month, a spokesman said. "There are several options out there, and our goal is to find the best means of transportation to help meet the needs of our customers," Honda spokesman Jeffrey Smith told Dow Jones Newswires.

Bringing products in through Mexico is one of Honda's options, but not the only one, Smith said. He declined to elaborate on what the auto maker's other options are, and said Honda has no timeframe in which to make a decision.

The auto maker is working with U.S. Customs about possibly fast-tracking border crossings and port entries, Smith said We are examining all our options," he said. "I'd be surprised if there are companies out there not doing that."

Of the vehicles that Honda sells in North America, about 20 percent of them are made outside North America, Smith said. The company imports about 5 percent of its manufacturing parts into North America, but those are "clearly important manufacturing parts," he said. Smith declined to be more specific on what kind of parts are imported.