On March 23, Japan's largest steelmaker Nippon Steel Corporation announced that iron and steel production at its Kimitsu plant near Tokyo has resumed operations, now reaching the levels of production before the earthquake which hit Japan on March 11.
Because of the general power shortage, some of the rolling and subsequent processes at the Kimitsu plant are being operated in line with power-saving considerations.
On the other hand, operations remain suspended at Nippon's steelmaking plant in Kamaishi in northern Japan, due to damage caused by the earthquake and tsunami in the area. To take over Kamaishi's production during the interim, Nippon has started manufacturing Kamaishi orders at its other steelworks and group-member companies and is making deliveries so that supplies to its customers can be ensured.
Nippon said that all its steelworks except for Kamaishi can deliver products without the slightest hitch. "For the unloading ports in the Tohoku area, it might be quite a while before their reconstruction can be completed. We are keeping our eye on the state of progress in the recovery of the region and also on the resumption of production by customers, and, if necessary by taking alternative routes and conveyances, we shall be restarting deliveries to them gradually," Nippon said in its statement.