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Toyota Motor Corp has extended its partial production halt in Japan, affecting multiple facilities, following an explosion at a parts supplier's factory earlier this week.
Disruption Widening with Multiple Production Lines Halted
The disruption has continued to widen as 11 production lines across seven factories in Aichi and neighboring prefectures in central Japan remain halted. This marks an expansion from the previous day's count of 10 production lines at six factories, making it the largest carmaker worldwide.
While one plant is scheduled to resume operations on Thursday, most affected factories will remain closed on Thursday and Friday. Additionally, two plants in northeastern Japan will join the list of halted production lines on Friday, bringing the total number of affected lines and factories to 13 at eight plants. The production at these factories is not expected to resume until at least October 23, reports Japan Today.
The recent disruption stems from an accident on Monday at Chuo Spring Co's factory in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture. Japan Times noted that the cause of the explosion is still under investigation. As a contingency measure, Chuo Spring has begun production using alternative parts at an affiliated company in China and is exploring air freight options.
Alternate Production Locations Under Consideration
In collaboration with Toyota and its group firms, Chuo Spring is preparing to restart production at a different line within the affected factory and an affiliated company in Nagasaki Prefecture. These measures aim to mitigate the impact of the disruption on the overall manufacturing process.
Toyota has 14 assembly factories nationwide, producing approximately 14,000 cars daily. However, the disruption has heavily affected the production of models such as the Corolla and RAV4 sport utility vehicles.
Toyota's renowned just-in-time manufacturing system, designed to meet demand without excess or deficiency, faces challenges during emergencies due to the limited availability of parts. This incident adds to a series of production problems that the automaker has faced, including a glitch in its part ordering system earlier this year.
Photo: Chandler Cruttenden/Unsplash
