Nixa manufacturer earns contract with Honda

It’s DPC’s first job for Honda, though the 38-year-old company at 120 W. Mount Vernon St. in Nixa has manufactured automotive components for Ford, Chrysler and General Motors.

“I think anytime you can get a component in a flagship vehicle for a company, the volume alone is a huge benefit,” said Skip Austin, DPC’s materials manager, automotive program manager and one of two men most responsible for landing the contract in November.

Last year, Honda sold 354,441 Accords, bested only by Toyota Camry sales, according to Honda spokesman Chris Martin.

With 2008 models bringing a redesign, Martin expects Accord sales to surge.

Stellar sales would benefit DPC, which will produce about 6 million foam pieces annually for 600,000 Accords, according to Shane Bostian, director of quality, purchasing manager and head of tooling design for DPC.

Bostian, who teamed with Austin to land the deal, said production would run through the lifespan of the new Accord, which should be five years. Production will begin this summer.

See SBJ’s March 5 issue for more on this story.