Minn. companies with facilities in Japan assess damage

Minnesota companies with operations in Japan are trying to figure out how much their business will suffer as a result of the country's recent devastating earthquake and tsunami.

Ecolab is a Fortune 500 company in Minnesota whose products include sanitation and pest control supplies. The company has two plants in Japan. One was damaged slightly, but not enough to stop production. Spokesman Mike Monahan said it's too early to calculate the eventual cost of the natural disaster.

"The impact of the earthquake and the tsunami has been so broad that there's problems with the logistics in the country, so we haven't been able yet to determine the impact on our sales from the disaster," Monahan said.

Medtronic also has five offices in Japan. None of its employees were hurt, but some buildings were damaged. A spokesman said Medtronic continues to monitor developments. Meanwhile, the company is pledging $1 million towards relief efforts.