World Update: How the Tragedy in Japan Affects Our Sport
The Aftershocks of a Horrific Event
By: Jason Giacchino
Considering that Japanese manufacturers serve as the lifeblood of the ATV industry, it isn’t surprising that our inbox has been overloaded with inquiries from concerned readers asking how the catastrophic events of late have affected the 4 major ATV manufacturers.
Sadly news has been slow to reach the USA on such matters but we have been able to piece together enough tidbits to assemble an idea.
It appears Honda has been experiencing delays in their facilities but remain optimistic about an eminent return to daily operation in the near future. In a recent announcement, the company said that production at its Kumamoto plant would remain halted at least until March 27, after earlier predictions of resuming Wednesday, March 23.
Yamaha too is hopeful that its plants in Iwata Main, Iwata South, Hamakita, Morimachi and Nakaze will all reopen by the conclusion of the week.
Suzuki planned to reopen some of its production facilities by the end of the week (March 25th) in effort to complete vehicles that were yet unfinished on the assembly line when the quake and corresponding tsunami struck.
Of the four, Kawasaki appears to have come out with the least amount of direct damage due undoubtedly to the fact that their factory (at 400-miles away) was the farthest from the disaster area.
However we don’t wish to downplay the ripple effect this tragedy will have on the industry as a whole. In fact companies like Shoei and Bridgestone that have resumed production are uncertain themselves about transportation from suppliers and product shipping due travel infrastructure damage that has taken place.
All manufacturers are forced to deal with rolling blackouts and temporary power-outages as the utility companies work on rebuilding the fractured power grids.
We suspect that it would be wise to expect limited inventory on parts and accessories that must be imported to the US. Many dealers report no major concerns on inventory as many of the parts they carry are either in stock on the premises or stored in domestically located warehouses.
To donate to relief efforts in Japan, the American Red Cross has set up a simple donation submission form at the following:
https://american.redcross.org/site/Donation2?5052.donation=form1&df_id=5052&idb=0
Have you donated yet? Tell us here.