OFUNATO, Iwate Prefecture--Industry giant Taiheiyo Cement Corp. has resumed operations at its factory here for the first time since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
OFUNATO, Iwate Prefecture--Industry giant Taiheiyo Cement Corp. has resumed operations at its factory here for the first time since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Its Ofunato factory has two kilns, giving it the largest annual output capacity in the Tohoku region at about 1.8 million tons.
Production ground to a halt after tsunami inundated the factory.
While the factory was shut down, cement made in Hokkaido was supplied to the stricken region.
One kiln on elevated land has been commissioned to incinerate debris from wrecked homes and office buildings in the Iwate Prefecture cities of Ofunato and Rikuzentakata since June, as damage to the site was minimal.
The factory was able to resume production after making repairs to its shipment and other damaged sections.
The incineration work is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. The ash from the incineration process is used to make cement.