Coronavirus has meant that everything in the UK other than essential services have had to shut down. This includes car manufacturers that have bases here, such as Honda. The country has been locked down for a couple of months now, but with the economy on its way down, there isn’t much that can be done other than to open it back up. One of the companies that is now going to reopen is Honda. The Japanese car company has a base in Swindon, and production here is said to restart in the first week of June.
About Coronavirus And Honda
The lockdown means that production had to be stopped as it was not safe for workers to continue with their jobs. Honda has now said that they are going to be restarting production in June, and they will be implementing ‘measures to mitigate risks and provide a COVID-secure site.’ People have been worried about catching Coronavirus since it was first known about back in January, but it wasn’t in the UK until a month or so later. For this reason, companies did not have to shut down until the UK got to a point where there was a nationwide lockdown implemented to keep people safe. As Honda didn’t fall into the essential category, it has been shut down ever since.
About The Honda Plant
The plant is going to close for good in July of 2021, as the Japanese car manufacturer no longer needs it. 3,500 jobs are going to be lost when the plant closes due to the changes in the car industry. There is more of a shift towards electric vehicles now, which means Honda needs to start releasing these as soon as possible.
When the plant shut down temporarily due to Coronavirus, it was to keep the employees safe. Working inside with a load of other people is one of the easiest ways to catch the virus, even if nobody knows that there are symptoms present.
The Restart
A spokesman for Honda said that ‘Associate welfare and safety remains Honda’s top priority’, inferring that the company is dedicated to doing whatever is necessary to ensure that a safe work environment is possible. It’s not going to be easy with the virus still around, but there are certain measures to be taken to keep everything as safe as possible at the plant.
The spokesperson also said, ‘We continue to work closely with the union and employee representatives to review and test our proposed safety measures in advance of production resuming.’
Furthermore, ‘We will also regularly review our measures after the plant has reopened to take account of evolving government advice and best practice.’ Ensuring that these safety procedures are adhered to is going to be important for Honda as they are going to be one of the first to restart production.
Now you know, all there is to know about Honda restarting production in the UK, so if you’re interested in purchasing a new Honda, keep your eye out for more information.
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