Press Releases

A fire occurred at about 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12, 2002, at our Leona Plant in the Nagahama district of Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefecture. No one was injured in the incident. The fire apparently originated on the first floor of the fiber spinning section in the vicinity of the winding apparatus, possibly due to an electrical fault. The last remnants of the fire were completely extinguished at 2:37 p.m. on March 13. No estimate of the amount of damage incurred has been made at the present time, but it has been estimated that the fire had spread to a total of 15,200 m² of floor space, principally in the fiber section. We are working in close cooperation with the relevant authorities to investigate the cause of the fire and determine appropriate measures which will ensure against any similar incident.

Much public concern has focused on the presence of cobalt-60, a radioisotope, in the plant. The eleven polymerization vessels in the plant are equipped with liquid-level measurement devices which utilize cobalt-60. The cobalt-60 is contained in lead-lined steel encasements which are able to withstand heat up to 800°C. None of the cobalt-60 encasements were compromised, and indications are that the fire did not reach the vicinity of the polymerization vessels. A team of government specialists confirmed that no radiation was emitted from the site during and after the fire.

Efforts are now concentrated on reinforcing public confidence in the safety of our operations, and on minimizing the effects on our customers until operation of the plant is restored.

Overview of the Leona Plant
General Manager:
	Masami Fujimori.
Site area:
	Approximately 162,000 m².
Floor space:
	Approximately 43,000 m².
Employees:
	Approximately 400.
Start-up:
	June 1970.
Production capacity:
	109,000 tons/year, of which
	•	33,000 tons/year nylon 66 filament.
	•	76,000 tons/year nylon 66 resin.
Sales of product:
	•	¥17 billion for filament.
	•	¥15 billion for resin.
Main applications:
	Filament – tire cord, pantyhose, printer ribbon.
	Resin – auto parts, electrical and electronic parts, industrial parts.

back