Samsung Electronics Co., Ford Motor Co. and Boeing Co. are maintaining global production while waiting for partners in quake-rattled Japan to increase one key export: information.
The companies are among manufacturers worldwide that depend on Japan for everything from memory chips to batteries for hybrid cars. The goal is to avoid parts shortages while suppliers such as Sanyo Electric Co. and Toshiba Corp. make sure they have access to power, water, transportation and materials.
"We're OK for a few weeks, and I can't tell you beyond that," Boeing Commercial Airplanes President Jim Albaugh said in an interview in Scottsdale, Ariz.