Over 80% of Japan Inc. recast supply chains as pandemic hit: survey

Disruptions convince companies to break from conventional cost-cutting

Automobile factory employees on an assembly line in Kawasaki, Japan. Companies have begun to diversify their suppliers and boost inventory to avoid disruptions. © Reuters

Nikkei staff writers

April 2, 2021 11:30 JST

TOKYO -- More than 80% of companies with factories in Japan have begun diversifying their supply chains, a recent Nikkei survey has found, as the coronavirus pandemic and other disruptions highlight the risks posed by highly streamlined production processes.