Japan's TEPCO, Sanyo check plants for quake

TOKYO, July 17 (Reuters) A strong earthquake hit factories and power plants over a broad area in northwest Japan, forcing companies to shut down production for repairs and safety inspections.

Following is a summary as of factories affected by the 6.8 magnitude quake in Niigata prefecture: Tokyo Electric Power Co shut down three major generators at the world's biggest nuclear power plant in Kashiwazaki city, near the focus of the quake, where the earthquake caused a fire in one unit and a small leakage of radioactive water.

A spokesman today said that the timing to resume operations of the generators has not yet been determined and the company is in the middle of asssessing damage and safety.

Sanyo Electric Co said it aimed to resume operations at its chip factory in Ojiya city as early today. The electronics company had stopped production lines and evacuated employees at the chipmaking facility after the quake but found no major damage to its equipment, according to a spokesman. The impact of the quake on the delivery schedule would be negligible, he said.

Fuji Xerox, a unit of Fujifilm Holdings Corp., said it halted production lines at a Kashiwazaki plant yesterday to assess damage from the quake.

A company spokesman today said there was no major damage to equipment at the facility, which mainly assembles printers, but parts of the building's ceiling were damaged. The company plans to continue inspections today as it had trouble with the process yesterday due to a power shortage.

Advanex Inc said it halted lines at its Kashiwazaki factory after the quake, and plans for resuming operations have not been finalised yet. A spokesman said the company had trouble performing proper inspections on the facility, which makes electronics parts, because of a lack of electricity.

Riken Corp said its auto parts factory in Kashiwazaki was still on hold after the quake damaged equipment and injured some employees. According to a spokesman, the situation was little changed overnight as inspection efforts were suspended due to an electricity shortage. The timeframe for restarting the factory is still undetermined.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co said its three chip factories in Toyama and Niigata prefectures were little affected by the quake as they are located some distance from the quake, a spokesman said. The company said it halted some production lines yesterday purely for inspection.

REUTERS RJ VV1035