E-Malt.com News article: Japan: Kirin resumes bottled beer production at earthquake-damaged Sendai plant

Kirin Brewery Co. said on February, 15 it has resumed bottled beer production at its plant in Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture, which was severely damaged by last March's earthquake and tsunami, meaning all items are now back in production at the plant.

However, the company decided not to restore some of its production lines for canned beer, as demand is expected to remain weak, The Mainichi Daily News reported on February, 16.

As a result, the plant's annual production capacity has been cut back from 190,000 kiloliters to 160,000 kl.

Noriya Yokota, head of the plant, told a news conference, "We were able to recover sooner than we expected. We want to help reconstruct disaster-hit areas with our own initiatives."

The plant restarted beer production for cans and kegs in October last year, but restoring manufacturing facilities for bottles took longer.

The plant will complete work to strengthen its resistance to earthquakes by April and has stockpiled emergency supplies, which will also be given to local residents living nearby, the brewer said.


17 February, 2012