Toyota has announced a wave of temporary production pauses across a series of its factories in Japan following a 7.4 magnitude earthquake that hit the nation last week.
The earthquake struck northern Japan last Wednesday night, with Toyota confirming it would be suspending 18 production lines across 11 factories last Friday. Plants with closed lines include the company’s Motomachi Plant, Iwate Plant, and Miyagi Ohira Plant.
The confirmation was triggered not by damage to Toyota’s facilities, but parts supply shortages prompted by the earthquake. The scheduled production pause starts today (Monday, March 21), running for three days.
It’s been reported that more than 90 people were injured by the Wednesday earthquake, with four people dead.
“Toyota would like to extend its sincere sympathy and condolences to those affected by the earthquakes that occurred in the Tohoku region on March 16,” said the manufacturer in a statement.
“Due to the parts shortage resulting from suppliers affected by the earthquakes, additional adjustments will be made to production operations in some plants in Japan as follows.
“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience these adjustments may cause our customers and relevant suppliers.
“While prioritizing the safety of the people and the recovery of the region, we will continue to work with our relevant suppliers in strengthening our measures against the parts shortage and make every effort to deliver vehicles to our customers as soon as possible.”
The closure is set to impact some of the brand’s most popular nameplates. These include the RAV4 and Land Cruiser 300 Series; a pair of models that have already been hit especially hard by supply challenges in the recent past.
The C-HR, Yaris, Yaris Cross, GR Yaris, Mirai, Land Cruiser 70 Series, Land Cruiser and Lexus’ LX, LS, IS, NX, and RC F are among the other models affected. It’s estimated that Toyota will lose some 20,000 vehicles worth of output due to the closures.
The news comes following Toyota’s decision to voluntarily reduce its production output in April from 900,000 vehicles to 750,000 as part of an “intentional pause” as it tries to bargain for the ongoing semi-conductor shortage.
Between April and June it expects production output to settle at approximately 800,000 vehicles per month.
“By doing this, we will establish healthy workplace environments that place the highest priority on safety and quality, rather than exceeding the capacities of facilities, pushing people to their limits, and making do through overtime work,” said Toyota.
“We will then inform our suppliers of plans that incorporate production reduction risks and other factors up to three months in advance, review production plans on a monthly and three-monthly basis, and share these plans with our suppliers.”
