TOKYO (Reuters) -- Daicel Corp. said it would build a second U.S. factory for airbag inflators in early 2016, bringing forward original plans partly to meet automakers' demand for alternatives to potentially deadly inflators made by Takata Corp.
The Japanese supplier previously said it would look into constructing a second U.S. factory some time after its current mid-term business plan ends in March 2017, but decided to reschedule to the end of the year through March 2016, a spokesman said today.
Automakers such as Honda Motor Co. have said they are turning to Daicel, Autoliv Inc. and others to help supply inflators as Takata struggles to produce them fast enough for the millions of cars being recalled worldwide.
Some 24 million vehicles with Takata airbags have been recalled since 2008, according to Reuters estimates.
Daicel had originally planned to supply replacement parts from Japan but will also utilize the planned U.S. factory, to be located in Arizona, the spokesman said. The bulk of the cars recalled for Takata's inflators are in the United States.
