Carmakers eye running factories in rotation to cut power use

TOKYO, March 26 Kyodo - Japanese automakers will consider running their factories in rotation to help cut the industry's electricity consumption amid power shortages created by a quake-crippled nuclear plant, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday.
Rotating production has been proposed as the carmakers want to avoid power being rationed to the industry by utility companies, as scheduled blackouts would significantly lower efficiency at their factories, the sources said.
Rather than experiencing scheduled power outages, the manufacturers want to secure stable electricity supplies for their factories in exchange for cutting the industry's overall power consumption by rotating production, they said.
The automakers are expected to hold a consultative meeting shortly at the office of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association to agree a rotational schedule, they said.
Other industrial sectors could follow suit as they are also facing electricity rationing in some parts of the country following a series of explosions and fires at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co.
Within the auto industry, metal-casting facilities are especially affected by scheduled blackouts, as they need considerable time to boot up after an outage halts their operations, they said. A blackout lasting three hours would lead to the suspension of operations at such a facility of nine hours.
In addition, the production of semiconductor chips for use in automobiles is viewed as effectively impossible without a stable power supply.
The automakers are currently deliberating on a proposal to suspend their factories in rotation on particular days of the week, the sources said.
The magnitude 9.0 quake and ensuing tsunami that struck northeastern and eastern Japan on March 11 have disrupted production at some factories operated by Japanese automakers.