Six of Komatsu's Japanese plants that were affected by the devastating earthquake that rocked the country a few weeks ago have resumed production, while Nichiyu forklift manufacturer Nippon Yusoki Co Ltd has confirmed the safety of all its employees in Tohoku.

Production at Komatsu's Oyama, Ibaraki, Koriyaya, Awazu and Osaka plants and the Komatsu Utility Co Ltd plant in Oyama City were disrupted by the earthquake, but in its latest update, Komatsu says all the plants have resumed production. Ibaraki is the only plant that has resumed production but has stopped an assembly line (Forkliftaction.com News #506).

Komatsu says it has made progress in assessing the damage suffered by its suppliers and has begun to implement measures to assist them. It maintains that production and parts procurement may be affected in the future by the possibility of more aftershocks, damaged infrastructure, the ongoing problem at the Fukushima nuclear plant and disruptions to power supply.

Nippon Yusoki Co Ltd says it has now confirmed the safety of all its employees at its subsidiary Nichiyu MHI Tohoku (Forkliftaction.com News #505).

The forklift manufacturer is continuing to rebuild its Ishimaki and Kesennuma branches that were flooded by the tsunami. It says it is assessing the damage caused by the earthquake and will soon release information on how the damage has affected its business performance. The company is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.