Quake damages plants of Fujitsu and Canon

Computerworld Hong Kong - The 8.9 magnitude earthquake last week damaged six plants of the Fujitsu Group and several facilities of Canon.

Four of the Fujitsu Group plants with building and equipment damage are in the Fukushima Prefecture plagued by nuclear plant blasts after the quake, while the other two are in the Iwate Prefecture and the Miyagi Prefecture, according to the vendor in a statement on Monday. These plants are respective facilities of Fujitsu Semiconductor, Fujitsu Semiconductor Technology, Fujitsu Integrated Microtechnology, and Fujitsu Isotec.

Fujitsu Group has set up a disaster response headquarters, with president Masami Yamamoto acting as the chief to collect information on the safety of all employees and on the extent of damage sustained by Fujitsu Group facilities and customers, the firm noted.

"Damages to buildings and production equipment including the ceilings, walls, and drain pipes of the Fujitsu Group's plants and offices have affected business operations," said a Fujitsu Group spokesperson. "The planned rotational electricity blackouts have also affected our operations in the Kanto region."

The amount of loss and impact on profits brought by the quake are currently unknown, according to Fujitsu.

The company said it will donate 100 million yen and relief supplies to support the rescue and recovery efforts. "We sincerely hope for the speediest possible recovery to everyone affected by this disaster," said the spokesperson.

Canon: Injuries at Utsunomiya office

Canon reported on Sunday severe damage at Fukushima Canon and the Utsunomiya Office that houses an optics R&D center and two plants.

While there are 15 cases of injury at the Utsunomiya Office, production at offices and plants in the hard-hit northern Honshu area has been suspended until further notice, the company noted.

"We are still working to ascertain damages and determine when operations can resume," said a Canon spokesperson.

Companies including Sony and Panasonic also announced suspension at some of their plants earlier. While HDS reports no damage to its manufacturing facilities in Japan, Fuji Xerox hasn't responded to Computerworld Hong Kong's inquiry on the quake's impact on its operation and production.

[Sony airlifts supplies to tsunami-stricken factory]