Japan Earthquake and Relief Efforts
2011.3.25
As has been widely reported all over the world, a deadly earthquake struck the northeastern part of Japan on the afternoon of March 11, and this has been classified as the most powerful earthquake in Japan’s recorded history. This massive earthquake triggered huge tsunamis, which struck the coastline soon after the quake occurred and cleared a path of destruction, extending several kilometers inland in some areas, and literally wiping out towns and communities along the way. The Noritsu group offers our sincere condolences to the victims of this disaster, and our hearts go out to all the people who have had their lives affected by this tragic event.
We have received many communications from people all over the world expressing concern and offering words of encouragement to our employees and the country of Japan. We would like to express our sincere gratitude for all your heartfelt remarks. NK Works is separated from the epicenter by a distance of approximately 1,000 kilometers, so there was absolutely no damage to the facilities, and all Noritsu employees were well out of harm’s way. We have been trying to contact our customers in the area affected and provide help and support to them to the best of our ability.
Our plant is unaffected, and is capable of running at full capacity. NK Works does however rely on the provision of specific parts in the manufacturing process for certain models, and the companies that provide these parts are located in several locations throughout Japan, including the area that was affected by the disaster, which means that the immediate production ability of some of these companies has been compromised. We are currently assessing the effect this temporary lapse in 3rd party part supply will have on our ability to manufacture and deliver products on time. We do not expect any major delays at this point, but we will continue to monitor the situation and keep our customers informed.
In our desire to help those who were affected by this disaster, Noritsu Koki and NK Works have decided to take the following actions.
1.Noritsu Koki has donated 10,000,000 yen from corporate funds to the people who have suffered at the hands of this tragic event.
2.The worker’s union for NK Works has volunteered to donate an additional 5,000,000 yen from the union reserve fund.
3.Moved by empathy for the people who have had their lives turned upside down by this event, NK Works employees have started a movement in which they can donate money from their own pockets, in addition to the donations mentioned above. Donation boxes have been placed in different departments throughout the company, and the money collected through personal employee donations in this way will be donated to disaster relief.
4.We have prepared supplies such as bottled water and respiratory masks, and we are working with the government to deliver these supplies to the people whose lives have been disrupted.
5.Eastern Japan is on the brink of a power crisis now that the Fukushima nuclear power plant was disabled by the earthquake and ensuing tsunami. With this in mind, we are taking measures to reduce the amount of electricity we use at NK Works. We replaced all our light fixtures in the office with new Noritsu-made energy-efficient lights last year, but we are doubling our efforts now and trying to save even more electricity by decreasing the amount of time lights in certain areas are on.
6.We are working with photo retailers in the disaster area who have been forced to halt their photo services due to severe damage from the earthquake and/or tsunami. One way we plan to assist them is to provide them with special offers to help them get back on their feet and begin running their businesses again.
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