Following months of production challenges in the aftermath of the devastation in the automaker’s home of Japan, Honda Canada Manufacturing said it is back to full production capacity, meaning dealers should soon see inventory return to more normal levels, including the supply of all-new 2012 Civics.

Almost the entirety (about 95 percent) of Honda’s Canadian sales are North American-built units, and the company finds most parts and materials for these vehicles locally. However, the automaker does need to source some critical parts from Japan, meaning HCM’s production was negatively impacted. Hit particularly hard was production for the Civic.

HCM was building more than 28,000 units a month for the U.S. and Canadian markets before the quake hit. After the devastation, production was cut almost in half during the summer because of the parts shortage.

HCM saw some major progress, however, in September. Plant 1 – the producer of the Civic Sedan, Civic Couple and the Civic Si coupe and sedan — was back to two-shift operations after having to combine into just one this summer.

Then in October, HCM got back to full production for all of its shifts throughout Plant 1 and Plant 2.

“This challenging year reminds us of the deep relationship we have with our associates, dealers and customers,” pointed out Jerry Chenkin, executive vice president of Honda Canada.

“It is heartening to know that so many customers patiently waited for our all-new Civic while production was reduced. The Civic truly lives up to its promise as a car for everyone and we’re excited to have the production capabilities back online to supply the growing demand,” Chenkin added.

Also, as part of the reduced summer production schedule, there were a few non-productions days. During these times, associates were given the choice of participating in business improvement activities, training and volunteering.

In light of this, associates offered 325 hours of service to local food banks, humane societies and Habitat for Humanity.

“We are extremely thankful for the dedication, support and flexibility of our 4,200 Associates through these challenging times,” stated Jon Minto, senior vice president of HCM. “We also know that our Canadian operations play a large role in our local community, so we are pleased to return to regular production.”