Toyota's Molten Aluminum Turned Lump Shows Post-Quake Power Challenge

Iwaki Diecast Co.'s 15 electricfurnaces shut down as the March 11 earthquake knocked out power,turning 12 tons of aluminum bubbling at 670-degrees Celsius intosolid lumps of metal. The supplier to Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) lost 440 pounds ofspilled aluminum and a magnesium die-cast plant washed away bythe tsunami that followed in Yamamoto, Miyagi prefecture. Dieselgenerators were brought in to restore power and it took fourdays to melt the blocks so parts production could resume onMarch 22, Managing Director Hiroto Yokoyama said. "We are almost back to where we were before theearthquake," Yokoyama said in an interview at the factory."But the big questi

Read more of this 118 Diecast, Toy or Other Hobby Information ...