Isuzu Motors Ltd. has resumed production at its Fujisawa truck plant, according to its U.S. subsidiary, Isuzu Commercial Truck of America. Production at the plant had been suspended since March 11 when Japan suffered a severe earthquake and tsunami.
The Fujisawa plant builds the Isuzu N-Series truck, engine and components for North America and other global markets. On March 28, plant engineers began testing production equipment for possible damage from the quake. According to Ryozo Tsukioka, exec. VP and director of Isuzu Motors, “We confirmed that the equipment was normal and that we could proceed with trial production as planned.”
Plans call for ramping up production gradually “because parts supply and the availability of electricity remain inconsistent,” according to a press announcement from ICTA.
“We are grateful that Isuzu Motors Limited has taken such care to ensure that production of vehicles will resume safely,” said Shaun C. Skinner, ICTA exec. VP and GM. “We know our dealers and our customers understand that it will take some time before normal vehicle distribution schedules resume, and we appreciate their patience as production resumes.”
