Japanese Auto Industry Crippled By Lack Of Power, But Could The Solution Be This Simple?

Is Coca-Cola standing in the way of the auto industry’s recovery from the Japanese earthquake, tsunami and nuclear reactor disaster?

A friend of mine in Japan thinks so.

The auto industry is waiting for suppliers in the devastated region to get back to full production. But that may be delayed by rolling power blackouts this summer, when air-conditioning demand will overwhelm the crippled electric utility industry.

That’s not necessary, says my friend. No blackouts would be necessary if Coke would unplug its massive network of vending machines.