Daimler AG is providing 2 million euros (approximately $2.8 million) as immediate aid for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The donation is intended to support the disaster relief and aid actions in the northeast of the country. The automaker said additional support will follow this initial immediate action, possibly including the provision of material supplies.
Global powertrain supplier BorgWarner also announced it will donate $100,000 to the Red Cross toward disaster relief for the survivors of the recent earthquake and tsunami disasters in Japan. In addition, the company will match all donations from its employees around the world.
Kumho Asiana Group, parent company of Kumho Tire USA, announced it would donate 60 million yen (about $740,000) to aid Japan’s recovery from the earthquake and tsunami damages. The 60 million will be divided equally and given to the three areas in which the company’s Asiana Airlines operates its services, namely Miyaki, Ibaraki and Fukushima.
Reuters has reported that Honda Motor Co. will extend its production halt in Japan by three days, through Wednesday, while Mazda Motor Corp. said it will reopen plants on Tuesday.
Yokohama Rubber Co. said plans for resuming production at plants stalled by the earthquake and tsunami are progressing. Production remains suspended at Yokohama’s facilities in Ibaraki.
Production has resumed at other Yokohama plants in Mishima, Hiratsuka, Hiratsuka-East, Hamatite and Nagano.
Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. said its Sendai plant remains closed, primarily due to a continuing power outage in that region. Sendai was hard hit by both the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and accompanying tsunami.
Bridgestone Corp. reports that its Nasu factory, which produces passenger car and motorcycle tires, is still out of operation. The plant was initially scheduled to restart production on March 16, but some sparks and smoke were detected within the plant that day, necessitating a further delay in production commencing. All other plants have restarted production.
