Komatsu’s local plant chief said Monday it will take “a miracle” for unfolding events not to create problems for the heavy equipment maker.
The Chattanooga assembly plant receives about 20 percent of its components from Japan, said Dennis Riddell, the factory’s general manager. One Japanese parts plant that supplies the Chattanooga facility is near a city severely damaged by the earthquake and tsunami, he said.
“You can’t finish [a piece of equipment] without all the parts,” Riddell said. “We do have a Komatsu facility near Sendai that makes hydraulic components that does supply stuff to us.”
But, the plant official said issues related to components should be at least a month off because the plant usually has that amount of goods in the facility or en route.
“It will be four to six weeks before any impact,” he said. Much depends on how much damage there is in component factories, other suppliers and Japanese ports, the Komatsu official said.