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Ward's Special Report, After the Earthquake: Fixing Japan's Auto Supply Chain





















Ward’s is pleased to present a special report on Japan’s auto industry’s strides to return to normal following the recent earthquake and tsunami there. Below is a summary of the detailed analysis contained in the special report now available to order as a PDF document.

The end is finally in sight for Japanese auto makers as they complete repairs of their damaged supply chains and attempt to resume normal operations only three months after a deadly 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck the northeastern coast of Japan.

Forced to shut down their operations for nearly a month after the March 11th disaster caused varying degrees of damage to some 500 suppliers, the nation’s automakers are operating at more than 80% of pre- quake levels. By September, all will be above 90%, most of them at capacity.

Recovery has come faster than experts expected but, as yet, major issues remain unresolved, and it may take years to sort all of them out. These include overdependence on a handful of key suppliers of strategic components and materials. Topping the list are microchips. Also on the list are engineering plastics and synthetic rubber and the additives and resins which give them their special properties.

The most troublesome, deep-rooted issue is whether Japanese auto makers should scrap their famed just-in-time supply system and, because the current business environment is unfavorable with the yen at near-record highs, shift even more production outside Japan.

These and other issues will be thoroughly explored.

In preparing this report, Ward’s contacted more than 100 suppliers of everything from microchips and engine controllers to plastic resins and steel.

The Special Report PDF contains:

  • The most detailed review to date of suppliers hit by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami including several located inside the 12-mile exclusion zone surrounding the damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant
  • A progress report of all Japanese OEMs, not just Toyota, Nissan and Honda but Mitsubishi, Subaru and Mazda plus truck makers Hino, Isuzu and Mitsubishi Fuso
  • An interview with a JAPIA executive concerning supply chain confusion
  • A MUST READ for anyone who has dealings with Japanese suppliers and OEMs, who's heard about damage to Second and Third-Tier suppliers but doesn't have any names, who's concerned about potential problems with their own supply chains
  • A MUST READ for corporate planners, industry analysts, trade officials

To order, CLICK HERE, or call us at 248-799-2645.

Subject to sales tax in AL, AK, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MI, MN, MO, MS, NE, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI and Canada.

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