Toyota, a Japanese automotive giant, has suspended operations at its assembly plants across Japan due to a disruption in its production system.
This move has effectively brought the manufacturing activities of the world’s largest car manufacturer to a complete standstill.
The issue revolves around a malfunction that has prevented Toyota from placing orders for crucial components required in the assembly process. While the company is actively investigating the root cause of this problem, a spokesperson has indicated to the BBC that they do not currently suspect a cyber attack as the cause.
On Tuesday morning, Toyota initiated the suspension of operations at 12 out of its 14 assembly plants located in Japan. As the day progressed, the decision was extended to include all 14 facilities, leading to a complete cessation of production.
The duration of this shutdown and the extent of production losses are yet to be disclosed by the company. These 14 plants contribute to approximately a third of Toyota’s global production output.
This setback arrives at a time when Toyota had been gradually recovering its production in Japan after dealing with a series of challenges. Notably, the company’s operations were adversely affected last year due to a cyber attack on one of its suppliers, resulting in an output loss of around 13,000 cars for a day.
Further impacting its operations, Toyota had also faced disruptions in its production lines in Japan due to the COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai, China’s economic hub, during the same period.
In response to these challenges, Toyota stated, “Due to the impact of the semiconductor shortage, we announced our revised production plan for May.” The company’s manufacturing philosophy, known as the “just-in-time” production system, emphasizes efficiency by minimizing inventory and relying on timely component deliveries. However, this approach can become susceptible to disturbances when the supply chain experiences disruptions.
