Japanese auto, parts makers start to recover

Vehicle and auto parts makers affected by the March 11 earthquake in northern Japan are starting to resume normal operations, with the affected plants now mostly up and running.

According to a report by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Meti), all factories of Honda Motor Co. resumed operations as early as April 11. Those of Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. followed a week after.

All three car makers have assembly plants in the Philippines.

Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. announced two weeks ago that factory operations would go back to normal starting Wednesday, after several weeks of halving output and implementing a three-day workweek.

In an earlier interview, Honda Cars Philippines Inc. president and general manager Tatsuya Natsume said the car maker’s Sta. Rosa plant would also churn out only half of its normal output until the end of May.

While production could be ramped up again to normal levels after that, he said operations would not be completely normal until the end of the year. For the most part, it was still difficult to say when things would go back to absolute normalcy as the situation in Japan, particularly in the parts market, was still very fluid.

He said the most critical vehicle component that various auto manufacturers, not only Honda, were having problems with in terms of supply was the automotive microchip, being supplied mainly by Japan’s Renesas Electronics Corp.