Iscar sees minor production loss in fighting

July 20, 2006

The chairman of Iscar told the Bloomberg wire service that his company lost about two and a half days of work and may lose another two because of the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militia.
An Israel-based producer of cutting tools, Iscar has facilities in northern Israel, near where fighting broke out July 11. The Jerusalem Post reported on July 20 that it was unclear whether Iscar’s facility at Tefen in northern Israel was functioning, but that its facility at Kiryat Shmona was "totally closed."
However, the Jerusalem Post also quoted Iscar’s president, Jacob Harpaz, as saying that "for the most part, everyone is working."
"In the important places work continues as usual," Harpaz said.
The newspaper said divisions located in Tefen that are central to the company's international operations – including logistics, storage and product management – were "all working."
In the Bloomberg Newswire report, Iscar Chairman Eitan Wertheimer said the company would make up for time lost during the crisis by working nights and weekends. Wertheimer also indicated that there would be no delay in deliveries.
Forbes magazine quoted Wertheimer as saying that his company has been through similar crises in its 54-year history. Wertheimer said such crises have never interfered with production or deliveries of its products, and that he does not expect the current crisis to cause production or delivery delays.