WASHINGTON, D.C. —Following a meeting with Honda officials at the Detroit Auto Show last month, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) welcomed the news that Honda investments at Anna Engine Plant and Russels Point Transmission Plant will bring 150 jobs to Ohio. Today, Honda announced that the company will invest $98 million at the Anna Engine Plant, in addition to a $120 million investment at the Russels Point Transmission Plant announced last year. The plants will lead the manufacturing of Honda’s next-generation powertrain technologies.

“Since November 2010, Honda has announced more than $500 million in investments in its Ohio facilities—creating jobs and strengthening Ohio’s auto supply chain,” Brown said. “Only a few years ago, as our nation’s auto industry was on the brink of disaster, this news may have been unimaginable. But today, as a credit to our state’s dedicated, highly-skilled workforce, and the leadership of officials at Honda, we’re seeing unprecedented investment in Ohio’s communities.”

At last month’s auto show, Honda announced plans to build a new central Ohio facility to manufacture the Acura NSX. The NSX will be developed in the United States, including the Ohio Center of Honda R&D Americas, Inc. located in Raymond. Brown met with John Mendel, Executive V.P. of Auto Sales for American Honda Co., at the North American International Auto Show.

In August 2011, Brown joined leaders and workers from Honda to help highlight the investments that the automaker has made at Ohio’s four Honda facilities. Since November 2010, Honda has announced investments of more than $500 million in its Ohio facilities.  In 2011, Honda purchased nearly $6 billion in parts and materials from more than 150 Ohio suppliers, and more than $16 billion in parts and materials from 600 domestic suppliers in North America.  Honda employs more than 13,500 Ohioans.   

In January 2012, Brown joined the United Autoworkers and the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) to unveil new data outlining employment projections for Ohio’s auto industry and to discuss how the auto assistance not only stabilized Chrysler and General Motors, but helped save and add manufacturing jobs throughout the State of Ohio. CAR’S analysis revealed that Ohio added more than 3,000 new auto jobs between 2009 and 2010, and by 2015, Ohio will add more than 3,500 new jobs in the automotive sector.  

Brown has been an outspoken advocate for Ohio’s auto industry. In November of 2008, he introduced S. 3175, the Auto Industry Emergency Bridge Loan Act, with Sen. Voinovich and a bipartisan group of colleagues. In December 2008, Brown fought to ensure that funds were allocated to aid the GM and Chrysler and American auto suppliers. At the start of 2009, Brown applauded President Obama’s decision to advance restructuring plans to ensure the viability of the American auto industry.

According to a 2010 study by the Center for Automotive Research, more than 792,000 Ohio jobs depend on the auto industry; this figure includes 120,285 direct employment (people employed directly by auto industry: 39,685 by automakers and 80,600 by parts suppliers); 276,330 indirect employment (jobs indirectly employed by automakers or parts suppliers: 167,891 by automakers and 108,439 by parts suppliers); and 395,981 spin-off employment (expenditure-induced employment resulting from spending by direct and intermediate employees; 221,018 by automakers and 174,963 by suppliers). A 2011 study by the Center for Automotive Research found that 164,654 jobs in 2009 would have been lost in Ohio if the auto industry had not been rescued.

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