Honda halts production at Swindon due to parts delays

Congestion at UK ports causing shortage of parts, forcing Honda to temporarily pause production

Honda has paused production at its Swindon factory due to transport delays causing a shortage of parts, the BBC is reporting.

The Japanese firm has told employees that congestion at UK ports is causing a "transport-related parts delay". Like most manufacturers, Honda operates a just-in-time production method, whereby parts are delivered exactly when they are required.

"The situation is currently being monitored with a view to restart production as soon as possible," Honda said in a statement. Reports claim one last-resort alternative could be to air freight parts from the source countries.

UK container ports, including Felixstowe, Southampton and London Gateway, are said to be heavily congested. An increasing number of consumer orders for Christmas and companies filling lockdown-induced backlogs are listed as two reasons for the delays, while it's also suggested companies are stockpiling goods before the Brexit transition period ends on 1 January.

Last May, Honda announced it would be closing its Swindon manufacturing plant, where the Civic is currently produced, in 2021. It claimed an acceleration in electrification plans means that "resources, capabilities and production systems for electrified vehicles will be focused in regions with a high volume of customer demand".

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