Reports suggested that Japan's glass industry will feel the economic effects of the recent earthquake and tsunami for months, if not years, to come. With glass factories in Shizuoka & Sakai City, Corning faces transportation problems, potential interruptions to electricity supplies & raw material shortages. In addition, customers including Sony have halted production following the disaster. AGC Group said operations were suspended at the Kashima float plant, which sustained partial damage, while operations at the Chiba plant were restricted by a fire on the premises of neighbouring facilities. No critical damage was reported to the facilities of AGC Display Glass Yonezawa, which processes small/mid-sized LCD glass substrates. Production facilities at AGC Electronics Koriyama plant were partially damaged & restoration work is currently underway. NSG Group reports that none of the 3 furnaces at its Chiba plant sustained significant damage, while other sites in the northern & eastern regions similarly avoided critical damage, however, due to power outages, some operations were suspended. AGC generously provided a donation of 100M Yen towards relief efforts. IHS iSuppli, suppliers of the Apple iPad 2's hardened glass overlay saw earthquake damage. Analysts say these developments could combine to cause temporary disruption in the LCD supply chain. Such disruptions could cause shortages of components, including glass, resulting in price fluctuations, including higher prices for LCD TVs and other devices.
