- Title: JAPAN: Japanese auto makers start new working week to cut peak time power usage
- Date: 3rd July 2011
- Summary: YOKOSUKA CITY, KANAGAWA PREFECTURE, JAPAN (JULY 2, 2011) (REUTERS) NISSAN CAR ASSEMBLY LINE FACTORY WORKER ASSEMBLING A CAR CAR ASSEMBLY LINE FACTORY WORKERS PUTTING TOGETHER A CAR MORE OF FACTORY WORKER WORKING CAR ASSEMBLY LINE (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) NISSAN FACTORY DIRECTOR KENJI SHIBATA (49) SAYING: "I try to talk to my family during the weekends, so that worries me a bit." (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) NISSAN FACTORY MANAGER SHINGO YUZAWA (41) SAYING: "People with families seem to have had a hard time dealing with the shift at the beginning, but junior and high school students will have summer holidays from now on, so employees can use their Thursdays and Fridays to spend time with their family. It's not like a blessing in disguise, but they are saying they wish to use this opportunity to go travelling with their family, so I think it's a good thing." CAR ASSEMBLY LINE WORKER ASSEMBLING CAR PARTS CAR ASSEMBLY LINE WORKER ASSEMBLING CAR PARTS ELECTRICITY USAGE OBSERVATION ROOM EMPLOYEE MONITORING FACTORY ELECTRICITY USAGE ELECTRICITY USAGE OBSERVATION ROOM COMPUTER SCREEN SHOWING ELECTRICITY USAGE ELECTRIC POWER GENERATOR MORE OF ELECTRIC POWER GENERATOR NISSAN MOTORS OPPAMA FACTORY NISSAN LOGO (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) NISSAN'S SENIOR MANAGER YUJI KISHI SAYING: "It's about how we can lower the peak of our electricity usage. We decided to be creative with our work hours and lower our electricity usage. In addition,as part our social responsibility, Nissan have decided to utilitze Saturdays and Sundays and work in rotation, and achieve 15 percent reduction in electricity usage." NISSAN'S ELECTRIC CAR, LEAF NISSAN LEAF SIGN (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) NISSSAN'S SENIOR MANAGER YUJI KISHI SAYING: "Regarding how this situation will affect our competitiveness towards other countries in the future. Well, if we can get through this electricity crisis, we can become stronger and make even better products. In that sense, it's about whether you regard this as a crisis or an opportunity, and we wish to take this as an opportunity, and make better products." NISSAN LEAF ELECTRIC CAR CHARGER
- Embargoed: 18th July 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Japan, Japan
- Country: Japan
- Topics: Business,Environment,History,Energy
- Reuters ID: LVADVL9I747S1K08K0IM4TZ954JE
- Story Text: Japanese trudges into power-save mode with a Saturday-to-Wednesday working week as part of a national energy-saving effort.
Japanese auto makers began a new working week on Saturday (July 2) as part of a national drive to cut power use at peak times.
The auto manufacturing industry has introduced a working week from Saturday to Wednesday after the government ordered large companies to cut their peak power consumption by 15 percent this summer, starting on Friday (July 1).
The nuclear crisis that the March 11 earthquake and tsunami triggered at Tokyo Electric Power's (Tepco) Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex has brought about a nation-wide energy-saving drive unseen in Japan since the oil crisis in the 1970s.
With the tsunami-ravaged Tepco plant still leaking radiation and public opinion likely to derail the restart of some 30 commercial reactors now shut for inspection, the country remains concerned about power usage.
Failure to comply with government measures could mean blackouts for Japan, which manufacturers are desperate to avoid.
"Regarding how this situation will affect our competitiveness towards other countries in the future. Well, if we can get through this electricity crisis, we can become stronger and make even better products. In that sense, it's about whether you regard this as a crisis or an opportunity, and we wish to take this as an opportunity, and make better products," said Yuji Kishi, senior manager of Nissan Motor's environment and energy control group.
At the Nissan Oppama plant, that means workers on the early shift start an hour earlier, at 5:30 in the morning, and the late shift moves back by an hour in order to ease the burden on the grid during the peak mid-afternoon hours.
"It's about how we can lower the peak of our electricity usage. We decided to be creative with our work hours and lower our electricity usage. In addition,as part our social responsibility, Nissan have decided to utilitze Saturdays and Sundays and work in rotation, and achieve 15 percent reduction in electricity usage," Kishi said.
Most Japanese companies entered austerity mode as soon as the disasters hit in March, switching of lights and idling elevators.
For the car industry and other firms shifting to Saturday or Sunday workdays, saving energy will mean inconvenience, more expense for working parents with young children, and impinge on personal time with loved ones.
"I try to talk to my family during the weekends, so that worries me a bit," said Kenji Shibata, a factory director at Japan's second largest auto manufacturer.
Others working at the factory tried to look at things more positively, suggesting it would just require getting used to.
"People with families seem to have had a hard time dealing with the shift at the beginning, but junior and high school students will have summer holidays from now on, so employees can use their Thursdays and Fridays to spend time with their family. It's not like a blessing in disguise, but they are saying they wish to use this opportunity to go travelling with their family, so I think it's a good thing," said Nissan manager Shingo Yuzawa. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
