Toyota, the prominent Japanese automobile industry titan, has enacted a comprehensive suspension of operations across all of its assembly plants within its home country. The reason for this suspension is attributed to a malfunction within its production system.
This decisive action has effectively brought the manufacturing processes of the world’s largest car manufacturer to a grinding halt domestically.
The encountered malfunction has rendered the company incapable of placing orders for essential components required for its production lines.
A spokesperson for Toyota revealed that the company is currently engaged in a thorough investigation to determine the root cause of the problem. However, at this juncture, there is no indication that the issue stems from a cyber attack.
As of Tuesday morning, operations were suspended at 12 out of the company’s 14 assembly plants situated in Japan. Subsequently, a company representative confirmed that production at all 14 facilities would be temporarily halted.
The automobile giant has yet to communicate a specific timeline for the resumption of operations or quantify the extent of production loss incurred due to this cessation.
Collectively, these 14 plants are estimated to encompass approximately one-third of Toyota’s global production capacity.
This suspension occurs against the backdrop of Toyota’s ongoing efforts to restore its Japanese production operations subsequent to a series of setbacks. Notably, the company’s operations were previously disrupted last year following a cyber attack targeting one of its suppliers. The aftermath of this attack resulted in a production loss of approximately 13,000 vehicles.
Additionally, in the same year, Toyota grappled with operational halts on select production lines within Japan due to the impact of pandemic-related lockdowns in China’s economic hub, Shanghai.
Elaborating on the circumstances, Toyota stated, “Due to the impact of the semiconductor shortage, we announced our revised production plan for May.”
Toyota’s renown as a pioneer of the “just-in-time” production methodology, which emphasizes cost efficiency by minimizing inventory, also renders the company susceptible to operational vulnerabilities if there are disruptions in the delivery of vital components.
