Japanese Parts Paralysis: Nissan's Iwaki Engine Plant Back On-line

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

Nissan’s Iwaki engine plant is back on line, as this video from Nissan’s in-house channel attests. The plant, located some 35 miles away from the stricken Fukushima power plant, was severely damaged by the quake and had been off-line ever since March 11.

In the face of rumors that the plant would be abandoned, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn had toured Iwaki end of March and “vowed to use every possible means to rebuild it,” The Nikkei [sub] reported. Yesterday, Nissan made good on that promise.

Iwaki itself is the largest manufacturing city in the Tohoku region, and the Nissan plant is one of its corner stones. In an internal staff meeting on April 1, Ghosn had said: “By restoring Nissan, we can restore the community, and by restoring the community, we will help to restore Nissan.”

The Iwaki plant is one of two Nissan engine plants in Japan. It makes about 376,000 engines annually. It is strategically important for Nissan’s V-6 engines. Full production will resume in June.

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

More by Bertel Schmitt

Comments
Join the conversation
 3 comments
  • Ben Ben on Apr 21, 2011

    “By restoring Nissan, we can restore the community, and by restoring the community, we will help to restore Nissan.” That kind of leadership or empathy seems to be in short supply in most multinationals.

  • Sfdennis1 Sfdennis1 on Apr 21, 2011

    "35 miles away from the stricken Fukushima power plant"?? Doesn't seem very far to me...barely outside the evacuation zone? (which in itself, was thought far too small by several experts) With a dangerous and unresolved nuclear crisis still unfolding? If workers are, in fact, returning...it speaks to the legendary Japansese sense of work ethic and allegiance to duty...or to my thought, insane obligation to obeying authority. Engines now, cancer later?

    • Bertel Schmitt Bertel Schmitt on Apr 21, 2011

      Or it speaks to the radiation hysteria - but is being drowned out by the noise. If they let Carlos Ghosn speak there without a leadlined suit, it can't be that bad.

Next