NPG, MPM, Hokuetsu Kishu Hit by Japanese Quake, Tsunami
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The 8.9 earthquake that struck Japan last Friday has put several large pulp and paper mills out of commission, according to a report this week by RISI, Boston, Mass., USA. Both the quake and the tsunami it created may have damaged several pulp and paper facilities in the region severely, though firms are still determining to what extent.
After being hit by the earthquake and10 meter tsunami, there is some fear that the receiving docks and equipment of Japan's northeastern pulp mills will be offline for some time, RISI notes. A case in point is Mitsubishi Paper Mills' (MPM) integrated Hachinohe mill, in Aomori prefecture. It is the company's Japanese flagship facility, and one it has concentrated its production on in recent years in an attempt to cut internal costs.
The tsunami flooded the entire first floor of the integrated Hachinohe mill and injured at least six staff members. Production has stopped there, and MPM is still investigating the extent of the damage, RISI reports. MPM also reported that production had shutdown at some converting plants and building materials plants inland, in quake-affected areas.
Within Miyagi prefecture itself, Nippon Paper Group (NPG) reports that two of its mills, Ishinomaki and Iwanuma, have been offline since the quake. Employee casualties were minor, with one staff member at the Ishinomaki mill injured. The Ishinomaki facility's stock was destroyed and the site flooded with mud from the tsunami, while half the stock at the Iwanuma mill was a write-off. There was some structural damage to Iwanuma's buildings as well. NPG is still evaluating the effect of the events on the mill's machinery, according to the RISI report.
In Fukushima prefecture, NPG's carbonless paper mill in Nakoso has also stopped production, and stocks there have been significantly damaged as well, according to RISI. Further afield on the northwestern coast, the Akita mill, operated by NPG's subsidiary Nippon Daishowa Paperboard, has stopped production. No information is available yet on damage levels or a possible restart date, RISI adds. Also, production has been somewhat interrupted at NPG's Fuji mill, However, the company expects normal production to restart soon. Activities are continuing as usual at NPG's other mills, including those in Hokkaido prefecture, which is relatively close to the quake's epicenter.
The damage seems less serious so far with other companies. Oji Paper's Nikko mill in Tochigi prefecture has stopped production after being affected by the earthquake. The company has not announced when it will restart production, RISI says. Oji also reports that four of its converting plants in the northeast have stopped production, and that it was still evaluating the damage done to them.
Hokuetsu Kishu Paper's Hitachinaka mill in Ibaraki prefecture has also stopped production. The company has released no details about injuries or the extent of the structural damage, but about 30% of its stock has been lost. The firm also reported that its flagship mill in Niigata prefecture stopped operating on Friday when the earthquake caused a water pipe to leak, but that the facility restarted production on Sunday, RISI reports.
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