In this episode, Jean Marc Leclerc, President and CEO of Honda Canada, discusses Honda's recent announcement of the largest manufacturing investment in Canada's history, focusing on electrification, sustainability, and innovation. Additionally, Jean Marc shares insights on workforce development, leadership during crises, and the importance of partnerships and collaborations. The episode concludes with a segment in French, highlighting Honda's efforts to attract young Franco-Ontarians to the manufacturing sector.

Dans cet épisode, Jean-Marc Leclerc, président et chef de la direction de Honda Canada, revient sur la récente annonce de Honda concernant le plus grand investissement manufacturier de l'histoire du Canada, axé sur l'électrification, la durabilité et l'innovation. Jean-Marc partage également sa vision pour attirer et retenir les talents, le rôle du leadership en temps de crise, et l'importance des partenariats et collaborations. L'épisode se termine par un segment en français, mettant en vedette les efforts de Honda pour attirer la prochaine génération de Franco-Ontariens dans le secteur manufacturier.

• 00:17 Teaser: What’s Coming up on Making it in Ontario
• 04:19 This Week's Guest: Jean Marc Leclerc of Honda Canada
• 05:05 Honda’s Speaking Circuit: Key Messages
• 08:22 Jean Marc's Career Journey
• 10:32 Leadership During Crises
• 16:21 Starting Hybrid Production in Alliston
• 17:40 Why Alliston for Canada’s Largest Manufacturing Investment
• 20:42 Why Greenfield Rather Than Retooling
• 22:51 Building a Circular Supply Chain
• 24:18 Workforce and Career Opportunities at Honda
• 29:14 Honda's Long-Term Strategy and Partnerships
• 35:33 Discussion en français avec Jean Marc Leclerc and Denise Deschenes-McKay

Highlighted Event

• November 19-20, 2024 - CME's North American Manufacturing Conference in Ottawa, Ontario cme-mec.ca/connection/2024-north-american-manufacturing-conference

Find out More about Honda Canada

• Honda Canada Website: hondacanada.ca
• Careers at Honda Canada: honda.ca/en/careers

Find Out More about Trillium

• Trillium website: trilliummfg.ca
• Trillium GIS: trilliumgis.ca
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/trilliummfg
• X/Twitter: x.com/TrilliumMfg
• Instagram: instagram.com/trilliummfg
• Facebook: facebook.com/trilliummfg
• Old ‘Making it in Ontario’ Episodes: https://soundcloud.com/making-it-in-ontario-past

About the Making it in Ontario Podcast

Making it in Ontario is your window into what's next in manufacturing. Ontario’s economy depends on manufacturing, but the latest research reveals concerning trends that could undermine the sector’s strength—if we don’t address them. Join us as we talk to CEOs and other leaders at the forefront of the sector about productivity, strategy, talent markets and career opportunities, and the role of manufacturing in a prosperous and sustainable future.

This podcast is an initiative of the Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing. It is produced by Storied Places Media.

Welcome to Making it in Ontario, your window into what's next in

2

Ontario's manufacturing sector from the

data driven researchers at the Trillium

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Network for Advanced Manufacturing.

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I'm Michelle Samson.

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Brendan Sweeney: And I'm Brendan Sweeney.

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Michelle Samson: All right, so Brendan,

it's been a very busy travel season,

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but it is starting to wind down.

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You've got, what, one event left, right?

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Brendan Sweeney: One big one left,

couple little ones, but one big one and

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that's, uh, next week, the CME's North

American Manufacturing Conference in

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Ottawa, and so it'll be great to get

up there, hear from our friends at the

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CME and some of their members, and to

hear from some of our friends from the

13

United States and from Mexico, uh, you

know, especially in the context of this

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dynamic world we're living in these days.

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A world in which the United

States, Canada, Mexico free trade

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agreement is very important.

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Michelle Samson: Yeah, so that

free trade agreement is in flux

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in some ways, and, you know, it

is evolving, as is this podcast.

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Uh, we're going to be shifting, not too

much, I mean obviously we're still going

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to be talking about manufacturing in

Ontario, but we're going to be shifting

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the focus just a little bit, right?

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Brendan Sweeney: We've still got a couple

of our manufacturing strategy discussions

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to be had, but we'll be hearing a lot

more about workforce development, about,

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uman resource strategy, about talent,

about building a culture in manufacturing.

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Really trying to answer that question

about, okay, well, what can leading

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Ontario manufacturers do, or what

are they doing, to build the talent

27

pipeline and to inspire the next

generation of manufacturing talent

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to choose a career in manufacturing

rather than a career in other sectors.

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You know, not that there's anything

wrong with a career in other

30

sectors, but manufacturing is

where innovation happens and where

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value and prosperity are created.

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And, you know, we've got a really great

episode dialed up for next week with

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Michelle Sangster, who is a Managing

Director of Accenture and the CHRO of

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Eclipse Automation in Cambridge , Ontario,

and Michelle is also a Hamilton native.

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Michelle Samson: I don't think

we're necessarily picking all of

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these Hamilton natives on purpose.

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It's just, as Michelle says in her

interview, which we just did, um, it's

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kind of part of the blood in Hamilton.

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Brendan Sweeney: Yeah, and we're just,

we're drawn like moths to a flame.

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It's amazing.

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We're just drawn to each other, I guess.

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Michelle Samson: All right, so that's

next week, but this week we have

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got a really exciting guest from the

automotive world, Jean Marc Leclerc,

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the President and CEO of Honda Canada.

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Brendan Sweeney: This calendar

year, we've heard a lot about

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Honda, especially their announcement

of what stands to be the largest

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manufacturing investment in Canada yet.

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We say yet, not ever.

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We say yet.

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That was earlier this year.

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I was lucky enough to go to the

public announcement in the spring,

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and we're going to speak with Jean

Marc about, kind of, what's behind the

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investment, about why they're investing

in Ontario, and then also about,

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you know, leadership during crises.

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And for the first time, part of the

conversation is going to be in French.

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Michelle Samson: Yeah, so we've got

about, I think it's about 10 minutes

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at the end of the episode that will

be conducted entirely in French.

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For that, we needed to invite a super

special co-host who is far more

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proficient in French than either of us,

and that is Trillium's Associate Director

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of Operations, Denise Deschenes-McKay.

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So she'll be asking him a few

questions down at the end.

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Brendan Sweeney: Yeah.

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And I mean, we're hoping that in addition

to honing our language skills, you know,

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we're hoping this helps us reach a larger

audience, a Franco-Ontarian audience.

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And yeah, more to come.

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Michelle Samson: There you go, yeah, and

anyone who is really appreciating the

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French content, let us know so that we

can do more of it if there's interest.

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Brendan Sweeney: And without

further ado, here's Jean Marc.

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So Jean Marc, welcome.

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You have been busy and we've ran into

each other on kind of the speaking

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circuit, TRBOT, Ivy, Simcoe County.

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How's that been going, and yeah, I

mean, it just feels like we've been

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hearing about Honda, from Honda, more

and more these days than ever before.

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Jean Marc Leclerc: Well, there's a

tremendous amount of interest, obviously,

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uh, you know, the biggest investment

in automotive history resonates with

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a lot of people, um, whether it be

obviously government, academia, the

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supplier chain, uh, that we have

Uh, in Ontario and across Canada.

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So, uh, clearly they want to understand

what the plans are, why we're doing

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what we're doing, and again, trying

to see if there's any way they can

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contribute to our, um, project.

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Brendan Sweeney: What's the main message?

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You've been trying to convey, at

some of these, um, events, and

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what are some of the main feedback

you've been getting at the events?

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Jean Marc Leclerc: Well, I think, I think

the main message, first of all, is to

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explain what we're doing, that we're not

doing any one piece of electrification,

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that we're trying to do everything

here, create a full value chain, um, in

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Canada, for electrification, and that

we want to do this in a, uh, obviously

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an environmentally sustainable way.

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That we are open to, obviously, you know,

players in Canada that can contribute to

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our project and encouraging them to to

think about how they can do it and opening

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the door for them to, uh, to contribute.

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And, um, I would say the other message

is, uh, it's all about innovation.

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You know, we're, we have an opportunity

here to do things differently, because,

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you know, one thing that, that people

need to understand, we're, we're not

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repurposing plants here, we're building

four new plants, and and we're starting

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with green fields, so the opportunity

to do all this electrification work in

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a sustainable way, in, in the manner

in which we do it, is obviously very

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important, so, Anybody that's been doing

work in that field can contribute,

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if you will, whatever technology or

processes they're working on to the

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project, so we're very welcoming of that.

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And the other message also,

there's a little bit of a message

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to say that in the end, when we

build them, we need to sell them.

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And selling them, uh, right now, uh, with

a sort of a slowdown in, in demand is

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concerning, uh, having said that we are

moving forward, but it's also a little

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bit of message, to, uh, people from

governments that influence regulations

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to say that, we need help, we can

build them, but we need to sell them

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and we need to build that ecosystem to

give people the confidence to buy or

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to transition to an electric vehicle.

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So that's really what I've been trying

to convey, um, and, I think it's been

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successful so far based on the, uh,

the follow up calls and emails I've

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been receiving after those talks.

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Brendan Sweeney: What

are you hearing back?

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What's your favorite message

that you're getting back?

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Jean Marc Leclerc: Well, my favorite

message is again that we have an

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open door to, uh, innovation, right?

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Because of the way that we are

approaching this, uh, that we are,

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looking for new ideas that would help

us basically deliver on our objectives.

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And, and surprisingly, there's a

lot of, a lot going on in Canada.

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Like, one of the big surprises to

me as I, for example, I visit, uh,

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universities and, and I learn about

some of the work that they're doing

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specifically in the automotive field

and in the carbon neutrality fields,

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um, you know, I'm amazed of what's

going on and also the fact that it's

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not necessarily well known in our

world, uh, meaning, uh, the Honda world.

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So one of the things we're trying to do is

make those, uh, make those connections, if

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you will, uh, to take advantage of what's

already been, uh, you know, done or being

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worked on that could actually help us.

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Either accelerate our plans with

technology, but also doing in a, again,

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an environmentally sustainable way.

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Michelle Samson: Yeah, I think

we're gonna, we're gonna ask you

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a lot more about all of that as we

go through the interview, but, uh,

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maybe we can start by getting a

little bit more background on you.

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Um, so we know that you joined Honda

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doing before that, and what was your

career journey, journey to get to Honda?

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Jean Marc Leclerc: Well, I was, I spent

10 years at another manufacturer, and

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actually they hired me out of university.

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I went to University of Ottawa, got

a BCom, and I got hired right out

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of university by General Motors.

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And, um, it's interesting, I always had

a passion for automobiles, but I must

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say that coming out of school, it wasn't,

I got to be in the automotive field.

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It's sort of like the, the industry,

uh, chose me versus me, them, for the

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simple reason that I was, uh, I wanted a

job coming out of university, and fast.

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And, uh, I was lucky enough to be,

uh, recruited by General Motors

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to start my automotive journey.

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So, a little bit of luck that, you

know, I got aligned with something

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I was really passionate about.

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And, uh, again, lots of opportunity

were offered to me at General Motors

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and, it was in 1995 did I join Honda.

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So, I've been, uh, been around Honda

for close to 30 years and, um, had nine

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different leadership positions at Honda.

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Starting with Regional Manager for the

Acura brand, I've led the Motorcycle

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Power Equipment Division, I led the

marketing operations of the company,

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I worked for Honda Financial Services,

I had two tours of duty there to

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learn that end of the business.

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So my career is really, a lot of

people ask me this question, How

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does one become president and CEO?

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And I always say I'm at a loss, quite

frankly, because a lot of it had to do

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with timing, a little bit of luck, but

also the experiences that you gain along

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the way that allow you to really connect

the dots in the business, um, and as

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you kind of move up in an organization

you're called upon to make decisions

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that connect those dots more and more.

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So that was, uh, just a quick overview

of close to 40 years in, in the

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business, if you will, And, um, given

the privilege to, to lead a company like

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Honda Canada, uh, to a very interesting

transition, uh, to say the least.

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Brendan Sweeney: So before we get

on to the transition that's kind of

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happening right now, I'm just wondering

if you could comment on the timing

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of your appointment as CEO, announced

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I mean, it was what, May 10th, 2020,

when it was announced that you were

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the CEO of Honda Canada, and it was

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Jean Marc Leclerc: it was actually,

earlier than that because I remember

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I got notified I was in February.

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I was in New York City with my

daughter to, uh, to see some Broadway

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plays and I got a call from the North

American CEO to, uh, to inform me.

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Um, and that was when things were

not shut down, but there was a vibe

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that things were not going well.

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And of course, you're in New York

City where you're in subways.

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in Broadway theatres, you know, with

people very close to each other.

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So, um, of course coming back and learning

about some of the things that were

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emerging, uh, I got a little nervous.

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But yeah, so I knew early at

that time, and again, it became

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effective May 1st, uh, 2020.

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Um, obviously a lot of, uh,

disturbance, uh, in our business.

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Our plants were shut down.

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Um, So it was an interesting time to take

over, but I must say that, you know, I

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always kind of positioned it in this way.

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If I was to be parachuted from another

organization to lead a transition

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like this or, you know, a disturbance

like this, it would be a lot more

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difficult than what I had to go through

because I knew the players, I knew the

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team, I knew how solid the team was.

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And, uh, it was really all hands on deck.

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You know, one of the things when I

became President and CEO was, it seemed

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to be very lonely at the top, right?

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Uh, because you had to basically

disconnect yourself from the day to day

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that you've become really accustomed

to in terms of, you know, being hands

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on and when COVID was announced and

everything, you know, including our

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dealerships, sort of in limbo, if you

will, waiting to see what the directive of

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the health authorities were going to be.

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It really was all hands on deck with

a team that I was very familiar with.

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So.

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I was fortunate in that way, and and I

think it helped me transition to this

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role in such a way that I could stay

very active on every single file, every

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single day, if that makes any sense,

from what I thought it was going to be,

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which is, again, you know, delegate,

delegate, delegate, and I was really

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concerned about what that was going

to be like for me, but I didn't have

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to go through that during that period.

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Um, but yes, it was about making your

people feel safe, secure, knowing

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what the company was doing to address

the situation, and again trying

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to manage the business the best we

could to look after our customers.

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Remember at the time there were a lot

of people that couldn't work and, you

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know, we didn't know whether they were

going to be able to pay their, their

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lease or their finance contract with

Honda Financial Services, so again.

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Working through looking after our

customers, and trying to keep the

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business going as best as possible.

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Brendan Sweeney: Any one critical lesson,

on kind of leadership during crises

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that, that stands out during that period?

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Jean Marc Leclerc: Yeah, I think

transparency with your associates.

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Because remember, everybody's working

from home and trying to adapt working

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from home, and and you really have

to do a lot more to communicate,

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to let them know what's going on.

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Uh, I had a, uh, a

mailbox call, Ask the CEO.

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So, anybody could email me and they

would get a direct answer just to,

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again, calm the nerves that they had

something in particular that they,

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uh, that they were going through.

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Uh, I wrote every single week an update

to associates about what was going

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on, and I kept that going for two

years, although the frequency kind

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of, once we had a little bit more,

um, normalcy, if you will, it got

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it to every two weeks, and then, and

then monthly, uh, and so that kept on

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going for, uh, at least three years.

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It was important to give them a sense

of comfort that their jobs were secure

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and let them know that the, you know,

what the company was doing and what we

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could do also to address any concern

that they had, because it was all new

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to the company also, working from home,

making sure they had the right equipment,

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making sure they had the right bandwidth

to communicate on Teams, which, when we

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started, we didn't even know whether we

had enough bandwidth to have a hundred

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percent of our associates work from home.

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We were lucky we did.

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And, of course, at the plant, it

was how do we keep them safe, uh,

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when we started operations again,

which was in sometime in June.

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We were shut down for

seven or eight weeks.

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And when we started the line going

again, how do we bring them in,

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in a way that it's safe That

was a, a major undertaking.

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And The other thing that sticks in my

mind and how it is, it's really about

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Honda, but all of the supply chain in

Canada collaborated with the government

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to find, um, what they could do to,

you know, build safety devices, if

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you will, shields and things of the

sort, when our production was down.

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That resonated with me because,

you know, it's one thing to say,

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here's what we need, um, but to have

people come together to say, okay,

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yes, we can help you with this.

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Yes, we can help, you know,

government deal with this issue

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by doing different initiatives.

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So That's a part that I will remember

for a long time of, you know, in a

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time of crisis, how people can actually

come together and bond and do the right

252

thing to help our fellow Canadians.

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Brendan Sweeney: So fast forward to

earlier this year, um, a couple exciting

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things happened up in Alliston and

we'll deal with one of them first.

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We started hybrid production.

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How'd that come about

and how's that going?

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Jean Marc Leclerc: Well, I would say,

thank goodness we have hybrids right now,

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because we're, uh, the demand for hybrids

is, is going through the roof, and it's

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only limited, quite frankly, by the number

of batteries we can get our hands on.

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But it came about, uh, we spoke

to the government about trying

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to, uh, upgrade our, facilities

to accommodate hybrid production.

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Uh, we started with CRV.

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That, uh, happened last year, and

this year, obviously, now we're with

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these, we have a Civic hybrid that

started production early this year.

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It's doing extremely well, and

the timing couldn't be better.

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As I said, there's a lot of people out

there that may not be ready to make

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the transition to an electric vehicle.

268

Hybrid seems to be a very good

sort of first step, if you

269

will, towards electrification

and it's going extremely well.

270

We wish we could build more.

271

Brendan Sweeney: The big news, earlier

this year, in the spring, you announced

272

with, you know, the global leadership,

with the Prime Minister, with the Premier,

273

with, I mean, I I got to be there, that

was fun, um, thank you for inviting me!

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You announced what is going to

be the largest manufacturing

275

investment in Ontario and Canada yet.

276

Um, why Alliston?

277

Why Ontario?

278

Why Canada?

279

Jean Marc Leclerc: Yeah, uh, you

know, those are all very good

280

questions and I can tell you it

happened, I would say, in sequence.

281

You've got to go back

to what the world was.

282

A lot of talk about, for example,

EV mandates and, around the world,

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I mean, North America, but really

anywhere in the world, and the

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companies were looking where they

were going to make those investments.

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Canada sometimes, it's like

sleeping with an elephant,

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talking about the United States.

287

Sometimes you need to move a little bit to

make the bed shake, and get consideration,

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and, that's exactly what we did.

289

You know, obviously we had our leaders,

uh, government leaders, Vic Fedeli for

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Ontario and François-Philippe Champagne

and the federal government, uh, traveling

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the world and reaching out to us to see

if they could meet with our leadership in

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Japan to say here's what Canada can offer.

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And again, the initial discussions weren't

about money, they were mostly about look

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at all the things that, uh, could make an

electrification supply chain possible in

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Canada and do it in an sustainable manner.

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So abundance of minerals, uh, obviously.

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The skilled labor that we have,

uh, in the province in Canada.

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um, You know, we have a, you know, an

established, manufacturing facility

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that's been around since 1986 that

has a strong global reputation, um,

300

but also within Honda that , has been

given the mandates to produce, two of

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our top products in the Civic and CRV

and, and, and being designated the

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global leads to build those products.

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So, it's a combination of factors that

basically led to all of a sudden Canada

304

now being, considered, uh, in the mix.

305

Uh, Which was not evident in the early

goings, by the way, because you got to

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understand the IRA in the United States

and the money that was being, uh, offered

307

made that extremely, uh, attractive.

308

And of course, when you look at

massive investments of billions

309

of dollars, of course that kind

of plays to any, uh, conversation.

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So, what we had to do, uh, other than,

uh, again, to follow through with some

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of the visits from our, um, government

leaders, uh, is, uh, to make sure that,

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uh, our leadership also in North America

understood that the government was also

313

prepared to support our investments.

314

That they had similar objectives

than ours, and that they could

315

support those investments.

316

And there were certain things that I

had to do to make sure that we were in

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the consideration for those investments.

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So, fast forward to late last year,

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were moving very, very quickly, uh,

and Canada basically was selected

320

for that, value chain, complete value

chain project that, uh, we will be

321

delivering in the years to come.

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Michelle Samson: Such a huge

opportunity for, for Canada,

323

obviously for Honda Canada.

324

I'm curious about your decision to go

with greenfield build and whether there

325

was any consideration to retooling,

um, the plant that you already had.

326

Jean Marc Leclerc: Well, to achieve

the efficiencies, that you're looking

327

for in terms of reducing the cost,

uh, and again, do so in a way, um,

328

to limit your, carbon footprint.

329

You really have to do it

with an open field, right, to

330

achieve all these objectives.

331

and that's why we are

doing it in that way.

332

I mean, affordability is a major

concern in the transition to appeal

333

to the masses to make that transition.

334

And, you know, that's why we're doing

everything in Ontario is to try to

335

bring all the pieces of that value chain

together, from mining to the process

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of these minerals, to the production of

EVs, to selling EVs, and also, we haven't

337

talked a lot about the, the downstream,

but, uh, it includes recycling also.

338

But you can do it all here.

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And again, all this is

connected to, affordability.

340

So that's why we've decided to

bring all those pieces, together

341

and to do it with an open field.

342

You can always repurpose a plant.

343

That's what we're doing

in in Ohio, for example.

344

That's our EV hub in Ohio.

345

They have a little

different objective there.

346

Obviously, there's a, there's a battery

plant in partnership with LG ES, but

347

their priority is flexibility because

in Ohio, you can build petrol hybrids,

348

and EV vehicles off the same line.

349

And of course, with the political

uncertainty, um, we need to be flexible

350

with our plans at the end of the day to

deliver the products our customers want.

351

Our objective in Canada is You

know, again, try to make them as,

352

lower the cost as much as we can.

353

And our plan will deliver a 35, 40

percent reduction in EV production

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cost from what they are today and 20

percent cost reduction for batteries.

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So that's a culmination of all

the things that we're doing to

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make EVs more affordable and

more appealing to the masses.

357

Michelle Samson: So you already

mentioned that you're including

358

recycling and you're, you know, you're

really building sort of the entire

359

supply chain here, but that it's also

going to be a circular supply chain.

360

So, you know, circular economy is,

starting to pick up the pace, but

361

I think it's still, early days.

362

Could you tell us more about like

what that whole process looks like?

363

Jean Marc Leclerc: Well

surprisingly, it's not early days.

364

I mean, there's already

discussions on what that may

365

look like in terms of recycling.

366

And, uh, so there's two

elements to recycling.

367

It's really to reuse the batteries

or the materials in the batteries

368

to put into new batteries.

369

So, um, so obviously energy storage is

going to be a big thing moving forward to

370

support the grid and everything that needs

to be done to achieve, again, 20, 35,

371

100 percent electric vehicles or hydrogen

vehicles, because it includes both.

372

But you also need to look at

cost reduction from recycling

373

in terms of reusing those.

374

I mean, there's an environmental

aspect of it, but there's

375

also an economic aspect to it.

376

And there's projections of how much that

would represent in terms of cost reduction

377

of reusing some of these materials.

378

And the technologies that are being

discussed right now to make sure that

379

it's possible, is also interesting.

380

Um, And so it is part of creating

this value chain that will continue

381

to deliver on cost reduction for EVs

moving forward, again, making them

382

accessible to more and more Canadians.

383

Brendan Sweeney: We can't get outta here

without talking a bit about the workforce

384

in Alliston and in Simcoe County.

385

Um, what is unique about the

workforce in Simcoe County and and

386

what advantages does it confer onto

Honda or onto the industry generally?

387

Jean Marc Leclerc: Well,

I think it's familiarity.

388

I mean, in the end, uh, you know, as I

said earlier about the skilled workforce

389

that we have, obviously, I was commenting

on Ontario and Canada overall, but

390

it's also the people that work at our

plant in Alliston that have, you know,

391

made our plants the success that they

are, and again, being bestowed the

392

responsibility or the honour, I guess,

if you will, of plant leads for Civic

393

and CRV, really speaks volume, uh, you

know, of the confidence that the company

394

has in their ability to take on such

endeavor, if you will, which is massive.

395

Um, and of course, the supply chain,

the partners that we have in Simcoe

396

County and beyond, uh, I mean, they all

contributed to our success the end, right?

397

So, um, you know, we're looking for

them to, to make that journey with us.

398

Whatever they're doing today, uh,

everybody's talking about the same

399

thing, is that how do we move on to

This next generation of vehicles and,

400

and what is it today that I need to

change to contribute to that future?

401

Um, I mean, listen, there, there, there's

no doubt that the partnerships that

402

we, the existing ones and the ones that

we're looking to make moving forward, Uh,

403

weighs very, very heavily, uh, in, in a

decision such as the one that we've made.

404

So we're looking forward to the future

and again, growing the county of

405

Simcoe and, uh, the town of Alliston

and, and continuing our partnership

406

with them for decades to come, because

one thing I keep on reminding people,

407

this is not an investment for the

next 10 years, it's decades to come.

408

So again, I think the ripple effect

of whatever we do and whatever that

409

will become as time goes on, will

definitely involve the communities

410

surrounding the plant and quite

frankly, across Ontario and Canada.

411

Brendan Sweeney: If I'm interested

in a career at Honda, um,

412

What do I need to know,

where would I start?

413

Jean Marc Leclerc: It depends what

you're interested in, obviously.

414

Uh, we have sales, marketing, we have

quality assurance, we have manufacturing,

415

and within the roles that we have, for

example, at our, our head office, or, you

416

know, in Alliston, uh, it really, uh, it

really depends what you're interested in.

417

We have, you know, when I host, for

example, students from universities that

418

want to visit our campus, or HGM, really

what we talk about is, you know, in our

419

organization, whatever you're taking at

university we can probably use, right?

420

If it's AI, for example, well, you know

what, there's a big push now on how

421

we can leverage AI moving forward to

become more nimble, faster, reduce cost.

422

Um, And if you're an engineer,

obviously, it goes without saying,

423

we have opportunities there.

424

Accounting.

425

But I think you, you, you basically go to

the site, uh, honda.ca, there's a section

426

there that speaks to how you can apply.

427

Uh, HGM also, uh, has an area that people

can go to, to, uh, show their interest

428

and, and submit their, uh, their resume.

429

And, uh, beyond that, I'll be honest, I'm

not quite sure how it works other than we

430

hire very good people from that process.

431

And, uh, so yeah, we're,

always looking for talent.

432

Uh, And speaking of which, when you

look at what needs to be done in the

433

years to come, uh, are we a little

bit worried about having enough?

434

We know there's talent.

435

But, you know, the name of the game now is

having enough when many massive projects

436

are going to take place in the province,

in particular, of having these skilled

437

labourers and the engineers and having

enough to kind of make sure that we stay

438

on track, with our progress, because, You

know, there's consequences to being late.

439

If you look at the ZEV mandate and missing

those critical dates when we need to hit,

440

for example, 60 percent in Canada of zero

441

So, there's consequences and penalties

attached to being late, so we're

442

working very hard to ensure that

we have the proper skill sets.

443

Obviously Georgian College is has

been a partner for a long time, uh,

444

so we're working with them to say,

listen, here's how many people that

445

we believe we're going to need in the

different skill sets moving forward,

446

and please help us, uh, to do that.

447

So, Georgian is one example, we're also

meeting with the Ontario, uh, I think it's

448

a Skills, I can't remember the name, but

obviously their, their mandate is that

449

we have enough people coming out of our

colleges and universities and our trade

450

schools, uh, to meet the requirements of,

Honda and everybody else that's going to

451

make that transition in the years to come.

452

Brendan Sweeney: So, we're

living in a dynamic world.

453

Got some interesting, uh, news

about the world, uh, last week.

454

We're in a dynamic geopolitical context.

455

Uh, we're in a dynamic

technological place and consumer

456

behavior is certainly evolving.

457

Um, but Honda has a strategy again,

like you mentioned, that's, it's

458

looking out not years, but decades.

459

What can you tell us about that strategy?

460

And, you know, where do you

461

amidst all this dynamism?

462

Jean Marc Leclerc: Yeah, well, I think if

we look at the short term, we need to, um,

463

we need to talk about flexibility because

we don't know, for example, um, you know,

464

what the policies, uh, how the policies

that are currently in place in the U.

465

S.

466

will change, uh, and, uh, so

being nimble, being able to,

467

again, adapt is very important.

468

I mentioned our hub in Ohio, I Um,

building that flexibility, if you

469

will, to, uh, you know, to deliver to

our customers what they need within

470

whatever regulation or, policies

may exist in the marketplace.

471

We are moving forward, as I said in many

of the conferences I spoke at, because,

472

the capacity we're going to be building

here in Canada, and again, we're looking

473

at what's, going to be there in 2028 and

beyond, towards the end of the decade.

474

There's no doubt in our minds, and

I'm talking about Honda, that electric

475

vehicles is the solution for small

mobility products moving forward.

476

The question is about

the speed of adoption.

477

And as I mentioned earlier on, is that

we need to make sure that we have an

478

ecosystem that It's going to continue to

be built to give people the confidence,

479

uh, to address some of the anxieties

they have about making the transition.

480

There's no doubt in my mind

that that's going to continue.

481

Of course, we'd like it to be ahead

of the curve, uh, in terms of finding

482

solutions for apartment dwellers, condo

dwellers, what I call garage orphans

483

because they represent 35 percent of

the population in Canada at the end

484

of the day and making sure that public

charging infrastructure is advanced.

485

So we'd like those to be ahead of

the curve, but again, the companies

486

that do these things, they're running

a business and of course, they're

487

looking at, you know, uh, delivering

an ROI to their shareholders.

488

That makes sense.

489

Um, but we know this is going to evolve.

490

And, uh, so with the capacity we're

building in Canada, which is going to be,

491

uh, exported in large part, but probably

70 to 80 percent of the United States,

492

other than meeting our own demands here,

uh, is, is manageable for the company.

493

And it will allow us, if things change,

to a faster rate of adoption that we'll

494

be able to add capacity, as opposed to,

for example, making another massive.

495

investments somewhere else to

meet the requirements of the day.

496

Uh, in terms of longer term, um, I

could tell you the commitment of the

497

company is absolute in terms of carbon

neutrality in our, we call it a Triple

498

Action to Zero, uh, which means use

of clean energy, zero emissions from

499

our products and all of our operations.

500

So when you think about it, what

exists today and transitioning that to

501

carbon neutrality is a huge undertaking

and again, resource circulation.

502

uh, all this by 2050.

503

Now I can tell you that, you know, uh,

there's a lot of companies, uh, today

504

that are being accused of greenwashing.

505

It seems that you need to have

that as part of your narrative.

506

I can tell you in absolute terms

that at Honda, this is being taken

507

very seriously, and there's massive

efforts to try to accelerate this

508

transition, uh, to carbon neutrality.

509

It's a huge undertaking, uh, there's

absolutely no doubt about that, but

510

the company is very serious, and if

you look at all the investments that

511

are being made that will eventually

lead to that objective, it's quite

512

amazing, uh, you know, the speed and,

and obviously the, the investments

513

that are required, uh, to make that

happen from where things stand today.

514

Brendan Sweeney: So before we transition

into the French component, of the, uh,

515

podcast, anything else that you wanted to

mention that maybe we didn't explore yet.

516

Jean Marc Leclerc: Well, listen,

I will only say, you know, in the

517

next, what's our business going

to be like in 20, 30, 40 years?

518

I could tell you, like Honda's a mobility

company, we're talking auto right now,

519

achieving carbon neutrality in the world

really depends where you operate and what

520

products you sell in these jurisdictions.

521

Electric vehicles, we believe, again, are

the answer to small mobility products.

522

But, if you're looking at, uh, the

continent of Africa or certain,

523

you know, Asian countries, it

may not be the answer today.

524

So we need to be nimble in our

approach, but always with the same

525

objective of carbon neutrality.

526

Uh, I give you an example in

India, uh, we sell, uh, 6 million

527

small motorcycles a year there.

528

It's kind of hard to believe,

but it's a massive number.

529

So.

530

The solution there is swappable batteries.

531

Picture for example, your barbecue and

you're going to get a propane tank at

532

the corner garage and you bring it back.

533

So it's the same concept with

batteries, and we're partnering

534

with, with competitors to do this,

to standardize those batteries to

535

make it as convenient as possible

for customers riding your product.

536

And the other thing I will mention,

which is very important and speaks

537

to the magnitude of the, uh, the

investments that need to be made and

538

also the speed with which we need to.

539

You're seeing a lot of partnerships,

uh, in our industry right now.

540

You know, and those are companies that

you compete vigorously every day, every

541

week, every month against that decide

that, You know, we can't do it alone.

542

We need to pool our resources.

543

We need to pool our skills and expertise.

544

Uh, we need to advertise those

investments over a broader range

545

of products and decide, okay, what,

what is it about our competitiveness

546

that really will set us apart in

those, um, partnerships, if you will.

547

So, um, this is happening and, uh,

I think people should really read

548

that this is unprecedented, uh, the

extent to which this is happening.

549

But, they are necessary and, and again,

an indication how serious the industry

550

is to advance and to make that transition

happen, uh, as quickly as possible.

551

Brendan Sweeney: So, let's

go to your fellow GG alumni.

552

Jean Marc Leclerc: You're a GG?

553

Denise Deschenes-McKay: Oui oui en

effet, j'ai étudié à l'université

554

d'Ottawa et je conduis aussi un Honda.

555

Jean Marc Leclerc: Parfait

556

Denise Deschenes-McKay: On attend

impatiemment ici pour l'hybride.

557

Jean Marc Leclerc: Pour l'hybride, oui?

558

Denise Deschenes-McKay: Oui, oui.

559

C'est ca.

560

Donc nous, on sait que la rétention des

talents n'est pas facile, surtout dans

561

un marché de travail aussi compétitif,

comme celui qu'on vie en ce moment.

562

Alors nous aimerons savoir quel programmes

est ce que Honda Canada met en place

563

pour attirer et retenir les talents?

564

Jean Marc Leclerc: Mais on commence

par les le partenariat avec

565

les collèges, les universités,

même ça commence même avant ça.

566

Quand on parle des jeunes qui veulent

graduer de l'école secondaire, puis

567

qui veulent connaître leurs options,

puis les parents aussi qui veulent

568

savoir dans quel domaine leurs garçons,

leurs filles doivent se diriger

569

pour avoir un emploi à long terme.

570

Un emploi qui paye bien.

571

Donc c'est vraiment avec ces

partenariats là qu'on va arriver

572

justement à securiser notre futur avec

l'expertise que nous allons avoir de

573

besoin pour continuer pour progresser.

574

Avec notre notre projet.

575

Denise Deschenes-McKay: Alors dans cette

même voix, est ce qu'il y a des critères

576

en particulier qu'un employé potentiel

devrait prendre en compte lorsqu'ils s'en

577

envisagent une carrière chez Honda Canada.

578

Jean Marc Leclerc: Écoutez,

nous chez Honda, ce qui est

579

important, c'est vraiment d'avoir

l'esprit ouvert à l'innovation.

580

On essaye d'encourager nos associés

à amener leurs idées à la compagnie,

581

puis la faire de façon le plus

rapide possible en toute sécurité.

582

Donc, on a des programmes qui

existent dans notre compagnie qui

583

permettent à nos associer de faire ça.

584

Donc, les personnes qui rentrent

chez nous, ce n'est pas des personnes

585

qu'on veut nécessairement avoir.

586

Ils font leur job de neuf à cinq.

587

Puis on veut vraiment qu'il

soit engagé avec la compagnie.

588

Et puis qui nous donne les idées

dans les domaines dans lesquels

589

ils travaillent, pour essayer de

faire avancer les choses pour la

590

compagnie le plus rapidement possible.

591

Donc, c'est vraiment, c'est des

critères, mais c'est peut être un genre

592

de un genre de mindset, un peu de ça.

593

C'est des gens qui qui vont nous

aider encore à avancer le plus

594

rapidement possible, puis aussi

qui vont avancer le plus rapidement

595

possible de notre organisation.

596

Denise Deschenes-McKay: Avez-vous

des exemples spécifiques

597

d'initiatives qu'Honda

598

Denise Deschenes-McKay: Canada a

déjà mis en place pour encourager

599

les jeunes à considérer une carrière

dans le secteur manufacturier?

600

Jean Marc Leclerc: Mais le secteur

manufacturier avec Honda Canada

601

Manufacturing avec les relations qui

ont avec les, uh, Georgian College

602

par exemple, et puis y en a d'autres

en particulier, mais j'utilise

603

celle là parce que c'est c'est la

relation que je connais le plus.

604

Donc il y a plusieurs initiatives dans

le passé, justement pour s'assurer que les

605

programmes sont alignés avec nos besoins.

606

Puis c'est des choses qui vont continuer

avec la transition vers l'électrique

607

aussi parce qu'il va, on va avoir

besoin de différentes expertises.

608

Dans le futur, mais c'est vraiment des

programmes et c'est vraiment de travailler

609

avec eux avec leurs initiatives avec les

écoles secondaires, par exemple, qui ouvre

610

les yeux aux jeunes qui veulent peut être

s'impliquer dans le domaine manufacturier.

611

Le domaine manufacturier, c'est un

domaine qui est quand même assez

612

difficile si on pense comme parent.

613

Quand on parle de côté manufacturier,

on pense nos jeunes vont devenir des

614

avocats, des médecins et puis tout ça

donc, ça prend un peu plus d'efforts

615

pour convaincre peut être les parents.

616

Ce n'est pas souvent les jeunes, c'est

les parents qui vont avoir une influence

617

dans le futur de leurs jeunes, de leur

donner la direction parce que le domaine

618

manufacturier, c'est un domaine excitant.

619

C'est un domaine qui est en

transition qui va donner plusieurs

620

opportunités dans plusieurs domaines.

621

Donc, c'est vraiment d'ouvrir les yeux

de ces jeunes là et de leurs parents

622

à ces opportunités dans le futur qu'on

parle d'intelligence artificielle,

623

on parle d'ingénierie, on parle de

toutes les, les domaines qui, qui

624

émergent dans l'électrification.

625

Denise Deschenes-McKay: Est-ce

qu'il y a une place à Honda Canada

626

pour les jeunes franco-ontariens?

627

Jean Marc Leclerc: Il y a

toujours une place pour les

628

franco-ontariens et le bilinguisme.

629

C'est, c'est important dans notre pays.

630

Donc sans aucun doute quand on a

cette, cette facilité là en disant

631

c'est toujours un plus quand qu'on

cherche pour une personne qui va avoir

632

peut être cette flexibilité là Y être

ouvrir des portes dans leur carrière.

633

Denise Deschenes-McKay: J'apprécie ça

comme parent, parce que mes enfants,

634

on les élèves en français uniquement

ici à London, qui est très difficile.

635

Jean Marc Leclerc: Oui.

636

Denise Deschenes-McKay: Et j'aime

savoir qu'ils vont avoir une

637

place comme franco-ontarien,

franco-ontarienne dans les secteurs

638

varient incluant secteur manufacturé.

639

Alors merci.

640

J'apprecis vraiment l'entrevue

en français, encore un peu parce

641

qu'on devrait en avoir plus.

642

Jean Marc Leclerc: Bon, c'est ça.

643

D'accord!

644

Michelle Samson: New episodes of Making

it in Ontario are published weekly.

645

Follow us now on Apple Podcasts or

Spotify to make sure you don't miss any.

646

Making it in Ontario is an

initiative of the Trillium Network

647

for Advanced Manufacturing.

648

It is produced by Storied Places Media.