Toyota halts all Japan assembly plants due to glitch

Japanese car making elephantine Toyota has suspended operations astatine each of its assembly plants successful its location state owed to a glitch successful its accumulation system.

The determination is apt to bring home output of the world's biggest car shaper by income to a standstill.

The malfunction has meant the steadfast has not been capable to bid components.

A spokesperson told the BBC that the steadfast is trying to find the origin of the occupation but does not presently judge it is owed to a cyber attack.

On Tuesday morning, Toyota suspended operations astatine 12 of its 14 assembly plants successful Japan.

Later successful the time a spokesperson said accumulation astatine each 14 facilities would beryllium suspended.

The institution has not yet said erstwhile it plans to restart the operations oregon however overmuch accumulation is expected to beryllium mislaid owed to the stoppage.

In total, the 14 plants are estimated to relationship for astir a 3rd of Toyota's planetary production.

The suspension comes arsenic Toyota's accumulation successful Japan had been recovering aft a bid of issues.

Its operations were deed past twelvemonth aft 1 of its suppliers was affected by a cyber attack.

The one-day disruption caused an output nonaccomplishment of astir 13,000 cars.

Also past year, Toyota suspended operations astatine immoderate of its accumulation lines successful Japan owed to the coronavirus lockdown successful China's economical hub Shanghai.

"Due to the interaction of the semiconductor shortage, we announced our revised accumulation program for May," Toyota said astatine the time.

Toyota is simply a pioneer of the alleged "just-in-time" accumulation system, which keeps costs down but tin beryllium susceptible to problems if deliveries of components are disrupted.