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Toyota Motor Corp. halted production works at two of its plants in Japan. It was revealed the automaker is currently experiencing supply shortage again and this led to the decision of work suspension at the affected sites.
On Thursday, Dec. 8, Toyota Motor's spokesperson confirmed the temporary stoppage of production in two factories to Reuters. The latest work interruption in the plants suggests the company will not be able to go back to normal operation routine this month as originally planned.
Toyota Motor previously said it expected the plants to return to their normal production level this month but it appears this was proven to be impossible at this time. The supply shortage has been an issue within the company for many months now and it has apparently continued to this day despite the predictions it will be solved before the year ends.
At any rate, the automaker's spokesman also explained that the halting of production in Toyota's plants is not only due to supply chain disruption in the country but also because of the lack of labor in Vietnam that was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The closure of the plants may last for three days and within this short time, the company will not be able to produce around 3,500 vehicles. Despite the fall, Toyota Motor still believes it will be able to keep its target production of nine million vehicles around the world during the financial year ending on March 31.
Meanwhile, The Drive reported that Toyota would allow flawed parts in the production to keep the work going. With the supply chain issues today, the company will accept imperfect vehicle parts without compromising on the perfection that the company is known for. It was reported that the carmaker already started using parts with inconsequential defects but this will not in any way affect the vehicle's performance and safety.
"We are careful about the outside of our vehicles, the parts you can easily see," Reuters quoted Takefumi Shiga, Toyota's chief project leader for vehicle development, as said during a news briefing last week. "But there are plenty of places that people don't notice unless they really take a good look."
