On March 14, Japanese steelmaker Kobe Steel has announced that the Tohoku earthquake which hit northeastern Japan on March 11 has affected two of its production facilities located in the Kanto region.
Accordingly, Kobe Steel's Fujisawa Industrial Operations, specialized in manufacturing of welding consumables and other products, suspended production when the earthquake hit. As inspection of equipment revealed no problems, production was restarted today, March 14.
Meanwhile, Kobe Steel's Moka Plant, which produces aluminum flat products, also halted production immediately after the earthquake struck, and is currently carrying out inspections of equipment. The effect on production is undetermined at the current time, as it depends on the power supply situation in the area, Kobe Steel said.