Japanese companies are not only reeling from damage to factories and suppliers in quake-hit northeastern Japan but are also suffering from fuel shortages in the northeast and power outages in the Tokyo area that are affecting production and distribution. Plant shutdowns in Japan threaten supplies to manufacturers across the globe of items from semiconductors to car parts. The following is a roundup of the impact of this month’s devastating earthquake and tsunami on Japanese manufacturers of cars and electronics.

AUTOMAKERS

• Toyota Motor Corp halted most operations at 18 factories that assemble Toyota and Lexus vehicles in Japan. It has restarted production of three hybrid models, the Prius, Lexus HS250h and CT200h, from March 28 at two factories but will suspend output for one day this week, on March 30. Toyota is making car parts at plants near its base in Toyota City, central Japan, for overseas assembly facilities and for repair parts. Toyota will delay the launch of the Prius wagon and minivan models in Japan from the original plan for the end of April.
• Honda Motor Co extended its production halt in Japan to April 3. Honda said last week a fifth of its Japan-based Tier 1 suppliers affected by the earthquake would take more than a week to recover. Honda made 69,170 cars in January in Japan, accounting for around a quarter of its production. On Thursday the company said it would resume production of motorcycles and power products at its Kumamoto plant in Kyushu, southern Japan.
• Nissan Motor Co resumed vehicle production at all assembly plants in Japan from Thursday, March 24, while supplies last. It resumed production of parts for overseas manufacturing and repair parts on March 21. Restoration continues at its damaged Iwaki engine factory in Tochigi prefecture, north of Tokyo. Nissan made 81,851 cars in January in Japan, where it manufactures 23 percent of its vehicles. Goldman Sachs has calculated that one day of lost production costs Nissan about 2 billion yen ($25 million) in profit.
• Mazda Motor Corp said on Thursday it would suspend production of vehicle repair parts and parts for overseas production at its Hofu factory in Yamaguchi on March 28, after having resumed limited operations there earlier this week. Its Hiroshima factory will continue limited production until further notice, a spokeswoman said.
• Suzuki Motor Corp will continue to assemble commercial trucks and vans at one of its plants through March 31 on a single shift. It will also restart car production at another plant on March 31 and continue production at an engine factory using parts in its inventory. It has not decided on production plans for April 1 and beyond.
• Fuji Heavy Industries Co will resume partial production of 660cc minivehicles on March 31 as parts supply and electricity become available, but it said a full resumption would take time. The maker of Subaru cars will keep production of non-mini vehicles suspended at least through March 31. It continues to manufacture vehicle parts for use at overseas assembly plants and vehicle repair parts.

ELECTRONICS MAKERS:

• Canon said two camera plants on the southern island of Kyushu would stay closed until the end of the month amid a shortage of parts. Production was halted at a third camera factory, with no date set for re-starting. Production at a lens factory north of Tokyo was suspended on Monday, while staff were inspecting an optical materials plant, also north of Tokyo.
• Elpida Memory Inc said on Monday it anticipated no interruptions to product supply following the quake. The world's third largest maker of DRAM chips said it had secured enough supplies to last until July and was in discussions about alternative suppliers from August onwards.
• Fujitsu said it would partially re-start a semiconductor factory in the northern prefecture of Iwate on April 3. This will be the last of its 6 quake-hit plants to re-open.
• Hitachi Ltd said it had partially re-started production at a factory north of Tokyo that makes lithium ion batteries for environmentally friendly cars. Hitachi counts General Motors among the customers for its batteries.
• Panasonic said some plants in northeast Japan remained closed including one making optical pick-ups and another assembling cameras and audio equipment.
• Renesas Electronics , the world's largest maker of micro-controllers, said production at three of its 22 factories in Japan is still halted. Two are in areas affected by power blackouts, while a third, the Hitachi-Naka factory, is yet to be fully inspected for damage following the quake. The company hopes to re-open the Hitachi-Naka site in July.
• Sony Corp said shortages of parts and raw materials would force it to suspend or reduce production at five plants in central and southern Japan making digital cameras, camera lenses, flat-screen televisions and other goods. Another plant may be affected by rolling power blackouts. Six production sites in northern Japan have been halted since the quake. If shortages continue, Sony may consider temporarily shifting some production overseas.
• Toshiba said output was suspended at a factory in Iwate prefecture making system LSI chips for microprocessors and image sensors, with no timeframe yet for a resumption of output. An assembly line at a plant making small liquid crystal displays for smartphones and other devices will be closed for a month to repair damaged machinery. OTHERS
• Shin-Etsu Chemical , the world's leading maker of silicon wafers, said its biggest wafer plant remained offline, along with a PVC factory. The firm has not said when it will restart operations. Some of the wafers made in Japan are shipped to chip companies overseas. Shin-Etsu is trying to boost production elsewhere, particularly of 300-mm wafers, to make up the shortfall.

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