The news: A magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture this week stopped vehicle and chip production across southern Japan. Toyota suspended three Kyushu plants through Aug. 5, one building Lexus models and two building hybrid units and engines. A spokesperson said the decision accounted for safety and the situation at distribution companies and suppliers.
The quake killed 34 people, against more than 260 in the 2016 quake in the same prefecture.
What's down:
Nissan partially suspended two Kyushu vehicle plants until Aug. 5 on parts delays.
Honda closed its Ozu motorcycle plant after leaks and flooding.
Renesas suspended its Kawashiri and Nishiki fabs. Nishiki is back; Kawashiri restarts in phases from Aug. 5.
Sony halted its Kumamoto semiconductor plant and expects pre-quake output by mid-August.
Tokyo Electron plans to restart full-scale production by the start of next week.
The propagation: Toyota will also idle an assembly plant in Aichi next week, more than 600 kilometers from the epicenter. Aisin, which builds doors, engines and other parts at a factory near the epicenter, came through with no major structural or equipment damage, though some water pipes were hit.
Reuters reported that earthquake-resistance work done at the site since 2016 helped limit the damage. CFO Daisuke Kondo said production would resume "once we confirm that safety and quality are okay."
Rail operators suspended Shinkansen and local train services across Kyushu for safety inspections.
The chip side: Renesas reported fallen ceiling panels and wall cracks at Nishiki, and cracked walls plus water leakage at Kawashiri that cut the plant's pure water supply. Nishiki resumed in phases and reached pre-quake capacity within two days; Renesas expects Kawashiri to take about three weeks after its restart.
TSMC evacuated its JASM joint-venture fab and restarted within hours, but said inspecting and recalibrating individual tools would take longer.
What's next: Toyota's three Kyushu plants, Nissan's two and Renesas's Kawashiri fab are all targeting Aug. 5.
