American Honda Motor Co., Inc. - SAP Innovation Awards 2025
Finalist in People Experience category: American Honda streamlined its HR operations by implementing SAP SuccessFactors HCM, consolidating three HR systems, five timekeeping systems, and two payroll functions into a unified platform. This integration provided a centralized view of associate skills, enhanced data-based workforce planning, and automated processes across the company. The simplification supports American Honda's transition to EV production and its goal of carbon neutrality by improving talent development and operational efficiency. EntryID#5342 Download the DocumentPUBLIC
Entry Pitch Deck
American Honda Motor Company Inc.
Rich Richardson
Tim Grimminger
Automotive
Building a future-ready workforce with a
unified, cloud-based HR environment
Entry Pitch Deck
American Honda Motor Company Inc.
Rich Richardson
Tim Grimminger
Automotive
Building a future-ready workforce with a
unified, cloud-based HR environment
COMPANY NAME:
HEADQUARTERS:
INDUSTRY:
WEBSITE:
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES:
Company information
2
American Honda Motor Company Inc.
Torrance, California
Automotive
www.honda.com
30,000
Founded in 1959, American Honda Motor Company Inc. is the North
American subsidiary of Honda Motor Company Ltd., the world’s largest
internal combustion engine maker. Powered by 30,000 associates,
Honda’s U.S. plants manufacture more than two-thirds of the Honda and
Acura vehicles sold in America and export U.S.-made automobiles across
Asia, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East.
With a vision for preserving the environment and improving people’s lives,
Honda has shifted its focus to reducing its carbon footprint by 2050, which
includes moving to an all-electric lineup. To realize this vision, the
company relies on AI and a unified, cloud-based HR environment to build
a future-ready workforce, enhance associate skills and experiences, and
improve efficiencies company-wide.
PUBLIC
HEADQUARTERS:
INDUSTRY:
WEBSITE:
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES:
Company information
2
American Honda Motor Company Inc.
Torrance, California
Automotive
www.honda.com
30,000
Founded in 1959, American Honda Motor Company Inc. is the North
American subsidiary of Honda Motor Company Ltd., the world’s largest
internal combustion engine maker. Powered by 30,000 associates,
Honda’s U.S. plants manufacture more than two-thirds of the Honda and
Acura vehicles sold in America and export U.S.-made automobiles across
Asia, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East.
With a vision for preserving the environment and improving people’s lives,
Honda has shifted its focus to reducing its carbon footprint by 2050, which
includes moving to an all-electric lineup. To realize this vision, the
company relies on AI and a unified, cloud-based HR environment to build
a future-ready workforce, enhance associate skills and experiences, and
improve efficiencies company-wide.
PUBLIC
CHALLENGE: SOLUTION: OUTCOME:
Building a future-ready workforce
3
of associates surveyed within the pilot are
highly satisfied with AI-based innovations.
of associates surveyed within the pilot
identified “efficiency” as the primary benefit.
associates have access to a single source
of up-to-date data.
>80%
American Honda Motor Company Inc.
>90% 30,000
To support environmental sustainability and enable
a cleaner, healthier world for future generations,
American Honda set a goal to achieve carbon
neutrality by 2050. To reach this goal, it needed to
transform its business operations company-wide—
shifting from producing 14 million internal
combustion engines a year to an all-electric lineup
while evolving from a hardware-defined company to
a software-defined company. With a fragmented
technology landscape and multiple HR systems,
American Honda lacked the efficiencies and skills
needed to streamline its operations and build a
future-ready workforce.
American Honda implemented SAP SuccessFactors
HCM, moving from three separate core HR systems,
five timekeeping systems, and two payroll functions
to a unified, cloud-based HR environment. To
provide smooth access to HR information and
opportunities for upskilling, the company deployed a
suite of SAP SuccessFactors solutions, including
SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting, SAP SuccessFactors
Onboarding, SAP SuccessFactors Employee
Central, SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central
Payroll, SAP SuccessFactors Performance & Goals,
SAP SuccessFactors Compensation, and
SAP SuccessFactors Succession & Development.
By moving to SAP SuccessFactors solutions,
American Honda is streamlining HR operations,
eliminating redundancies, and providing a better
associate experience. Access to a single source of
data will help associates identify skills and talent
gaps—and provide upskilling and reskilling to meet
electric vehicle (EV) production demands. With
business AI capabilities enabled through the Joule
copilot, American Honda is automating tasks so
associates can focus more on sustainability and
electrification. To further explore AI capabilities, the
company formed an internal council for responsible
AI and is piloting four use cases to learn how AI can
accelerate its vision for a future-ready workforce.
PUBLIC
Building a future-ready workforce
3
of associates surveyed within the pilot are
highly satisfied with AI-based innovations.
of associates surveyed within the pilot
identified “efficiency” as the primary benefit.
associates have access to a single source
of up-to-date data.
>80%
American Honda Motor Company Inc.
>90% 30,000
To support environmental sustainability and enable
a cleaner, healthier world for future generations,
American Honda set a goal to achieve carbon
neutrality by 2050. To reach this goal, it needed to
transform its business operations company-wide—
shifting from producing 14 million internal
combustion engines a year to an all-electric lineup
while evolving from a hardware-defined company to
a software-defined company. With a fragmented
technology landscape and multiple HR systems,
American Honda lacked the efficiencies and skills
needed to streamline its operations and build a
future-ready workforce.
American Honda implemented SAP SuccessFactors
HCM, moving from three separate core HR systems,
five timekeeping systems, and two payroll functions
to a unified, cloud-based HR environment. To
provide smooth access to HR information and
opportunities for upskilling, the company deployed a
suite of SAP SuccessFactors solutions, including
SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting, SAP SuccessFactors
Onboarding, SAP SuccessFactors Employee
Central, SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central
Payroll, SAP SuccessFactors Performance & Goals,
SAP SuccessFactors Compensation, and
SAP SuccessFactors Succession & Development.
By moving to SAP SuccessFactors solutions,
American Honda is streamlining HR operations,
eliminating redundancies, and providing a better
associate experience. Access to a single source of
data will help associates identify skills and talent
gaps—and provide upskilling and reskilling to meet
electric vehicle (EV) production demands. With
business AI capabilities enabled through the Joule
copilot, American Honda is automating tasks so
associates can focus more on sustainability and
electrification. To further explore AI capabilities, the
company formed an internal council for responsible
AI and is piloting four use cases to learn how AI can
accelerate its vision for a future-ready workforce.
PUBLIC
4
Business AI capabilities in
SAP SuccessFactors solutions empower us to be
a better company, automotive producer, and
mobility leader. The solutions give our associates
the tools to gain efficiencies, the opportunity to
upskill and reskill as needed, and the freedom to
focus on being more creative, creating an
interconnected environment where they can
perform at their best.
Tim Grimminger, HR Data and Technology Manager,
American Honda Motor Company Inc.
PUBLIC
Business AI capabilities in
SAP SuccessFactors solutions empower us to be
a better company, automotive producer, and
mobility leader. The solutions give our associates
the tools to gain efficiencies, the opportunity to
upskill and reskill as needed, and the freedom to
focus on being more creative, creating an
interconnected environment where they can
perform at their best.
Tim Grimminger, HR Data and Technology Manager,
American Honda Motor Company Inc.
PUBLIC
GLOBAL CHALLENGES
Challenges
BUSINESS CHALLENGES
PUBLIC 5
Environmental changes, from extreme weather to air pollution, are
driven in part by industrial emissions produced during automobile
manufacturing and fossil fuels burned by gas-powered cars.
Carbon neutrality is crucial to reducing environmental damage and
ensuring long-term economic stability.
To mitigate the negative impact on the environment, automotive
manufacturers are investing in electric vehicles, renewable energy,
and zero-carbon production methods to meet environmental goals.
This shift alone is creating even more challenges for automotive
manufacturers like American Honda, such as training associates on
EV production, keeping up with the latest technologies, and
automating processes to increase efficiencies.
Honda, known as the world’s largest internal combustion engine
maker, is committed to achieving carbon neutrality and becoming
a leading battery electric vehicle company.
To enable this monumental transition, the company needed to
adopt new technologies, new systems, and new manufacturing
techniques.
While its associates were experts in the company’s standard
manufacturing process, they weren’t as knowledgeable about EV
production or the technologies that support it. American Honda
needed to upskill and reskill associates to meet EV production
demands while freeing up their time to focus on carbon neutrality
through innovation, electrification, and sustainability initiatives.
Challenges
BUSINESS CHALLENGES
PUBLIC 5
Environmental changes, from extreme weather to air pollution, are
driven in part by industrial emissions produced during automobile
manufacturing and fossil fuels burned by gas-powered cars.
Carbon neutrality is crucial to reducing environmental damage and
ensuring long-term economic stability.
To mitigate the negative impact on the environment, automotive
manufacturers are investing in electric vehicles, renewable energy,
and zero-carbon production methods to meet environmental goals.
This shift alone is creating even more challenges for automotive
manufacturers like American Honda, such as training associates on
EV production, keeping up with the latest technologies, and
automating processes to increase efficiencies.
Honda, known as the world’s largest internal combustion engine
maker, is committed to achieving carbon neutrality and becoming
a leading battery electric vehicle company.
To enable this monumental transition, the company needed to
adopt new technologies, new systems, and new manufacturing
techniques.
While its associates were experts in the company’s standard
manufacturing process, they weren’t as knowledgeable about EV
production or the technologies that support it. American Honda
needed to upskill and reskill associates to meet EV production
demands while freeing up their time to focus on carbon neutrality
through innovation, electrification, and sustainability initiatives.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES WHY SAP
Objectives
6
An SAP customer since 2021, American Honda was looking for
flexible, adaptable software that would provide a single source of
truth and automate time-consuming tasks.
The SAP SuccessFactors HCM suite offers a unified, cloud-based
HR environment, along with solutions for payroll, recruiting,
onboarding, and more, which was exactly what American Honda
needed to realize its vision.
Business AI capabilities in SAP SuccessFactors solutions through
the Joule copilot support AI-assisted user experiences that help
people do their jobs better by making data-driven decisions and
reducing inefficiencies.
With multiple core HR systems, timekeeping systems, and payroll
functions, American Honda set out to consolidate its fragmented
HR technology landscape. The company hoped that a unified,
cloud-based HR environment would enable it to:
• Empower HR to make data-driven decisions that support
workforce planning and talent development
• Use a skills-based approach to identify current associate skills,
future needs, and talent gaps and provide efficient upskilling and
reskilling opportunities across business units to meet EV
production demands
• Automate manual, repetitive tasks to free associates to focus
more on innovation and growth
• Implement strong ethical and data privacy standards for AI usage
across the business
PUBLIC
Objectives
6
An SAP customer since 2021, American Honda was looking for
flexible, adaptable software that would provide a single source of
truth and automate time-consuming tasks.
The SAP SuccessFactors HCM suite offers a unified, cloud-based
HR environment, along with solutions for payroll, recruiting,
onboarding, and more, which was exactly what American Honda
needed to realize its vision.
Business AI capabilities in SAP SuccessFactors solutions through
the Joule copilot support AI-assisted user experiences that help
people do their jobs better by making data-driven decisions and
reducing inefficiencies.
With multiple core HR systems, timekeeping systems, and payroll
functions, American Honda set out to consolidate its fragmented
HR technology landscape. The company hoped that a unified,
cloud-based HR environment would enable it to:
• Empower HR to make data-driven decisions that support
workforce planning and talent development
• Use a skills-based approach to identify current associate skills,
future needs, and talent gaps and provide efficient upskilling and
reskilling opportunities across business units to meet EV
production demands
• Automate manual, repetitive tasks to free associates to focus
more on innovation and growth
• Implement strong ethical and data privacy standards for AI usage
across the business
PUBLIC