Nissan Motor Co., Mazda Motor Corp. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. restarted production Monday in Thailand after a monthlong suspension caused by flood damage to local suppliers.
They are the first of the eight Japanese automakers operating in Thailand to return to relatively normal production following the nation's worst flooding in decades.
Toyota Motor Corp. plans to restart local production Nov. 21.
Among the eight automakers, Honda Motor Co. is the only one that suffered direct flood damage to a manufacturing plant. But the seven others had all halted production by Oct. 20 because their supply chains were in disarray.
Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan and Mazda managed to resume production by procuring parts through different channels, including by manufacturing them in Japan.
"We have been able to restart production earlier than we thought thanks to efforts by parts manufacturers," said MMC President Osamu Masuko, who visited Thailand last week to prepare for the resumption of output.
Mitsubishi Motors' undamaged plant in Laem Chabang, southeast of Bangkok, was shut down Oct. 13 amid the disaster.