Panasonic’s Tianjin Design Center Sustained ‘Light Damage,’ Spokesman Says

The Panasonic Industrial Devices (Tianjin) design center in China, about three miles from the epicenter of Tianjin port explosions earlier this month (see 1508170032), is a subsidiary of Panasonic’s Automotive & Industrial Systems Co. and does research and development of car electronics-related products and systems, but not consumer electronics, Panasonic spokesman Jim Reilly told us. “The facility does design, so the number of employees is not large." There were no injuries, but the facility incurred “light damage,” he said, and quickly returned to normal operations. “We are not able to comment” on the broader question of whether Panasonic sustained any disruptions in its northern China supply chain in the aftermath of the explosions, Reilly said.