The powerful earthquake that struck Japan's Kumamoto prefecture has dealt a serious blow to the local industrial sector and paralyzed the country's leading automakers. Damage to infrastructure and disrupted supply chains have forced giants such as Toyota and Honda to radically revise their production plans for the coming days, Automotive News reports.
The Japanese automaker was forced to halt the second shift at key facilities in the south of the country. The shut-down sites include the assembly plant in Miyata, the unit plant in Kanda, and the hybrid system factory in Kokura. The initially planned restart of operations was quickly canceled. After a thorough analysis of the aftershocks, damage to transportation arteries and instability at key suppliers, management extended the complete suspension of operations at all affected locations.
The situation is similar at Honda, where its Kumamoto motorcycle factory also suspended work for mandatory technical inspections and maintenance. The quake also directly affected the network of component suppliers in the region, including companies such as Aisin Kyushu and Ahresty Corp. In addition, key semiconductor manufacturer Renesas Electronics closed two of its plants for emergency inspections of high-tech equipment, while Sony Corporation evacuated its employees and temporarily froze production capacity in the area.
Of the number of closed facilities, only Nissan has managed to maintain a normal pace of work. The Nissan Shatai Kyushu production complex in neighboring Fukuoka Prefecture continues to operate without interruption. Models such as the Nissan X-Trail crossover, the Patrol and Armada SUVs, the Infiniti QX80 luxury sedan, the Kicks e-Power and Serena e-Power hybrid versions, as well as the new generation of the Elgrand minivan, come off this assembly line.
Official representatives of the automobile companies confirmed that thanks to the safety protocols in place, no workers or employees at the production complexes were injured.