Suntory's Kumamoto Plant Faces 3-4 Month Recovery, About 10 Billion Yen Loss; Yamazaki Baking Restores Full
Suntory said its Kumamoto plant, damaged by an earthquake, will take three to four months to restore and expects losses of about 10 billion yen. Production has been shifted to other factories, and the company plans to resume output within the year. Separately, Yamazaki Baking announced on the 10th that its Kumamoto factory in Uki City has fully resumed production, with all lines including toast and sweet buns back in operation.
The company has confirmed damage to production equipment and buildings and plans to resume production within the year. Production of beer and other products at the factory has been suspended. Since August, beer products have been transferred to factories in Tokyo, Gunma Prefecture, and Kyoto Prefecture, while soft drinks have been transferred to factories in Yamanashi Prefecture and other locations for contract production. The factory was also affected by the 2016 earthquake, when it took about one and a half years to restore normal production and shipping, with losses increasing to about 10 billion yen.
Yamazaki Baking announced on the 10th that its Kumamoto factory (located in Uki City, Kumamoto Prefecture), which had been suspended due to the earthquake, has fully resumed production. All production lines, including toast bread and sweet buns, have been restarted.