A COMPANY that dropped down to a three-day week after problems in crisis-hit Japan has returned to full-time working.

Burnley-based Futaba-Tenneco enforced part-time working for the whole of May after similar moves by Toyota’s UK plants.

The Japanese car giant is Futaba’s sole customer and bosses said they had to ‘mirror’ Toyota’s production changes following a devastating earthquake and tsunami in the Asian country earlier this year.

However, the Futaba plant, in Liverpool Road, has now returned to a five-day week.

Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle, who sits on two parliamentary manufacturing groups, said: “I am delighted about this.

“The slow-down in production was purely down to what was happening in Japan and the impact it had on the supply to Toyota’s UK plants.

“That meant that not enough work was filtering through to Futaba but that seems to be okay now.

“The company has a full order book and the future seems to be bright for the next eight to 10 years.”

Terry Burns, a Unite union officer who represents Futaba workers, added: “Futaba is an important company for Burnley and we want to see it busy.”

The Lancashire Telegraph revealed in April how Futaba was set to operate only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in May.

It followed a shortage of car parts following the devastation in Japan in March.

In the meantime, staff were still paid in full.

Brian Barker, Futaba’s head of HR, confirmed the company had now returned to working five-day weeks.