Konica Minolta on 19 October confirmed that production at the Tatsuno factory would resume on 8 November, as planned. In an update issued in late September, the company had mentioned 8 November as the tentative restart date. In a statement issued on 18 October, the company incorrectly noted the production resumption date as 18 November. The Tatsuno factory produces toners for on-demand digital printing systems.
“When this notice was first published on 18 October, the date for Tatsuno factory to restart production was incorrectly noted as 18 November. The correct date of Tatsuno factory’s resuming production is 8 November,” the company said.
Kofu factory, after suspending its operation since the accident in August at Tatsuno Factory, resumed toner production on 18 October. Before restarting production, the factory completed its risk assessments on the safety measures by experts without a problem.
Konica Minolta said the group takes the accidents seriously and will continue to strive to ensure the community’s safety.
“At the same time, we would like to express our sincere apologies for the accidents, which caused concerns and inconvenience to our customers due to a shortage in the supply of toners. We also ask for understanding and support as we work to resume production in the future,” it said.
On 12 August, an accident occurred at the Tatsuno factory of Konica Minolta Supplies Manufacturing. In July, a fire had broken out at the same factory.
Indian market pretty much unaffected by Tatsuno factory incident
Indian Printer and Publisher spoke to Kuldeep Malhotra, deputy managing director and director (board of directors) at Konica Minolta Business Solutions India, earlier this month regarding the toner supply situation in India.
On 11 October 2021, Malhotra responded, “It is true that we had an accident at our factory where toner is being produced. The investigation is concluded to ascertain the reason for the fire at our factory. We are trying to get back to work very soon. The factory will start production from the mid of October. For the Indian market, we don’t have many challenges since we carry enough stock to cater to the needs of the Indian market for the coming months. We are comfortable and will continue to cater to the requirements of our customers.”
