After Japan quake, factories restart, Toyota halts
STORY: Japan is clearing up after the earthquake that hit the country’s northeast region earlier in the week.
But the quake put some factories out of action, and raised new fears about disruption to global supply chains.
Now big firms are racing to get plants up and running again.
Toyota is among the hardest hit.
The world’s biggest automaker says it will idle 18 assembly lines at 11 factories for a few days.
It expects to lose output of 20,000 vehicles.
Sony says it is gradually restarting production at three plants in the affected area.
One is damaged, but the firm says any impact on production should be limited.
Companies around the world will be watching to see if there is new disruption to the supply of parts, already roiled by the global health crisis and the conflict in Ukraine.
Renesas Electronics makes vital chips used in cars.
It has restarted output after stopping production at two facilities.
Murata Manufacturing, which makes key smartphone parts, says two plants still idled will start again next week.
Three people died in the earthquake, which also cut power to large areas, including some parts of Tokyo.
Japanese media reports say the power cuts forced the disposal of some vaccines held in cold storage.
