from an article in the Detroit News:
The Detroit News
Japan's leading automakers are extending the production stoppages they announced after last week's devastating earthquake and tsunami, and Nissan Motor Co. has canceled all business travel to Japan.
Toyota Motor Corp. said it would not resume domestic vehicle production before March 23, although it will start making replacement parts on Thursday to allow dealers and body shops to repair existing vehicles.
"A decision on when vehicle production will resume in Japan has yet to be made," Toyota said in a statement.
"Additionally, in an effort to keep production lines moving overseas, we plan to restart production of parts for overseas production on March 21," it said.
Toyota has canceled overtime at its North American plants this week, but they are all operating on two shifts, a spokesman said.
"There's a pipeline of parts between Japan and the United States, and we're trying not to burn through that too quickly," he said.
The automaker has between two and three weeks' worth of parts inventory for North America but is checking stocks on a plant-by-plant basis.
The bulk of Japan's auto-making plants are not in the area ravaged by Friday's 9.0-magnitude quake, followed by an even deadlier tsunami. But most Japanese automakers announced on Sunday that they would halt domestic output for at least a few days to assess the condition of their many components suppliers and crucial transport links.
Nissan, Japan's second-largest carmaker, said it would suspend production at four Japanese plants until Sunday and limit output at two others.
"Although all plants, except for the Iwaki engine plant, have been able to repair some damaged facilities and equipment, it is still taking time to arrange delivery of parts from our suppliers," Nissan said.
Nissan said its North and Latin American manufacturing facilities "remain operational and will continue to operate on a planned production schedule until further notice."
In Japan, Nissan has halted output at its Oppama, Tochigi, Yokohama and Nissan Shatai plants until Sunday. Production at the Kyushu and Nissan Shatai Kyushu plants will resume on Thursday "while inventory of supplies lasts," it said. "However, operations after Saturday March 19 are yet to be decided."
Nissan is additionally assessing damage to two transmission plants after a quake on Tuesday, one of the many powerful aftershocks since Friday's temblor. That was the strongest recorded quake in Japan's history.
Nissan, Renault SA's alliance partner, has suspended all business travel to Japan.
"Nissan is aware that a number of national governments have recommended their citizens consider leaving the greater Tokyo area or Japan entirely," it said. "Nissan has no current plan to repatriate its foreign employees, but we are working with each employee ... and fully respect their decision to stay or leave."
Honda Motor Co. had already halted auto-making operations this week, and Mazda Motor Corp. extended its production stoppages even though its headquarters and plants are in the southern part of Honshu island, far from the areas affected by the quake, tsunami and damaged nuclear power plants.
From The Detroit News:
Toyota, Nissan extend production halts after quake | detnews.com | The Detroit News
