The Otsuka Group is committed to the ongoing support of persons affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011. This commitment includes providing suitable products for the well-being of disaster survivors and persons involved in reconstruction efforts.
Otsuka Holdings and each Group company set up temporary crisis response headquarters immediately after the March 11 quake.
These offices worked together closely to coordinate the crisis response, acting quickly to check on the safety of employees and to verify damage to production facilities, as well as logistics warehouses and offices. The crisis response offices also coordinated relief efforts for disaster areas.
- * For more information, see Risk Management.
1. EN Otsuka Pharmaceutical (Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture)
The plant, which manufactures clinical nutrition products, incurred some damage to production facilities that led to a temporary suspension of production. Some operations resumed from March 22, and production capabilities have now returned to normal.
2. Otsuka Warehouse (Osaka City, Osaka)
Otsuka Warehouse provides logistics services for the Group. The quake caused some stock to fall over at warehouses in Sendai City and Urayasu City, where pharmaceuticals and beverages are stored. The Urayasu Warehouse also suffered structural damage and ground liquefaction, which temporarily affected operations. However, the Urayasu Warehouse was able to resume normal operations on March 28. As a result, Otsuka Warehouse’s distribution centers in the Tohoku and Kanto regions have almost regained full operability.
Starting from the morning after the March 11 quake, employees in disaster areas sprang into action to get emergency relief supplies to emergency medical organizations as well as to municipal governments of cities and towns that were devastated by the disaster. Working in collaboration with the disaster response departments of prefectural governments, the employees coordinated the supply of 1.75 million meals’ worth of beverages and foods manufactured by the Group. The Group also supplied other products, including pharmaceutical products, over-the-counter medicines and daily necessities. Despite the logistics interruptions and impact on logistics facilities, employees were able to deliver relief supplies with the cooperation of different parties.
Otsuka Pharmaceutical together with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Factory and Taiho Pharmaceutical leveraged every means available to assist with logistics to disaster areas. The companies worked with government authorities and industry groups to address the biggest challenge of getting stable supplies of pharmaceuticals and medical products to disaster areas. For example, the companies secured emergency approval for transport vehicles to be used for disaster relief, and arranged boat transport from manufacturing plants.
There was a groundswell of support and expressions of condolences for the quake victims from Group employees working in 23 countries and regions across the globe. To reflect the show of support, the company donated ¥390 million to the Japanese Red Cross Society for quake relief. The amount is equivalent to ¥10,000 per employee of the Group’s 39,000 employees* including 21,000 employees based outside of Japan.
- * Includes non-consolidated Group employees.
| Foods and beverages | Pocari Sweat, OS-1, Oronamin C, Tiovita, Crystal Geyser, Calorie Mate, SOYJOY, Nature Made Multiple Vitamin, Bon Curry, medical foods 1.75 million meals’ worth |
|---|---|
| Pharmaceutical products | I.V. solutions, liquid diet, antiseptics, medicines |
| Over-the-counter medicines | |
| Other daily necessities |
Donation of 10,000 Bottles of Nature Made Multiple Vitamin & Minerals
Otsuka Pharmaceutical and U.S. -based subsidiary Pharmavite LLC donated 10,000 bottles of Nature Made Multiple Vitamin & Minerals for relief victims. The supplements are providing much-needed vitamins and minerals for persons living for extended periods of time in evacuation shelters, and were donated through the Japan Dietetic Association (JDA). From May, the supplements are being distributed by local dietetic associations, after assessing the health of disaster survivors individually.
Distributing Nature Made supplements during a health assessment
Emergency Supplies for the Tokyo Fire Department and Donations of Foods and Pharmaceuticals for Firefighters
Since 2010, Otsuka Pharmaceutical has had an agreement with the Tokyo Firefighting Association to supply the Tokyo Fire Department with foods and beverages in case of a disaster. The agreement facilitated the supply of food and beverages to support disaster mitigation efforts in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake.
In addition, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Factory and Otsuka Foods donated products for fire crews heading from Tokyo to disaster areas. All three companies received a letter of appreciation from the Fire Chief of the Tokyo Fire Department for their contributions (see photo at right).
The Group is addressing the need to conserve power and comply with rolling blackouts, due to power shortages resulting from the incident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Reducing Power Consumption at Plants
The Group’s main production facilities in Japan comprise a network of 23 plants in 16 sites. In order to conserve energy, the plants are implementing energy-saving measures such as using self-generated power, and shifting production to evening hours, as well as weekend and holiday operation, to avoid peak electricity demand. Other aspects of production are also being reviewed to conserve power.
Cutting Down on Vending Machine Power Consumption
In order to curb the power consumption of beverage vending machines, the Japan Soft Drink Association announced a voluntary action plan to reduce the power consumption of beverage vending machines during the peak summer hours of 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. from July to September. The plan directs operators to reduce maximum power consumption by at least 25% year-on-year in Tokyo Electric service areas and 15% or more year-on-year in Tohoku Electric service areas. In support of the plan, Otsuka Pharmaceutical and Otsuka Foods, whose beverages include Pocari Sweat, Oronamin C and Crystal Geyser, are shutting off the cooling functions of beverage vending machines at specific times and, on a rotating basis, between machines.
Energy-Saving Measures at Offices
The Group is also pursuing energy-saving measures at offices including head offices and branch offices.
● Energy-saving initiatives implemented at offices
- Shifting of work hours to take place later in the day
- Adjustment of office lighting, and shut off of lighting near windows and in hallways
- Reduction of overtime hours
- Shut off electricity for rooftop advertising and signage
- Reduction of office equipment use, such as copiers and printers
- Lowering of summer air-conditioning temperatures
