Renesas: ‘We are assessing the impact of the earthquake’
A strong earthquake – with a seismic intensity of 6+ – struck the coast of Fukushima Prefecture and the surrounding areas on March 16.
According to data from the Japan Meteorological Agency 1,184 municipalities recorded a seismic intensity of 1 or more. The big 6+ was felt in two municipalities, while 12 recorded an intensity of 6- and 22 municipalities recorded a seismic intensity of 5+.
Semiconductor manufacturer Renesas operates three factories close to the epicenter, its Naka Factory in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture, its Takasaki Factory in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture and its Yonezawa Factory in Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture. As of now, the company says that no impact has been confirmed for other offices and affiliate companies of Renesas Group.
Renesas says in an update that production at its Naka factory was halted immediately after the earthquake and that the resumption operation will be decided based on factors including the state of the facility.
“Although there was a temporary blackout, power has been recovered since, and utility equipment have partly resumed operation. Renesas has initiated a safety assessment of the clean room from the morning of March 17 JST. Investigation of possible impacts to the equipment and products will be conducted once safety of the clean room has been confirmed,” the company writes in the update.
Production was also temporarily halted at the Takasaki factory. Renesas says it has already stated investigating the safety and possible impacts to the equipment and products within the clean room at its Takasaki operations.
Operations at the Yonezawa factory was, just like the others, suspended immediately after the earthquake. However, here Renesas has already partially resumed production for some test lines – but is still investigating the potential impact of the quake.
