Toyota Motor, the world’s largest-selling automaker, faced a hiccup as a glitch led to the suspension of 14 of its factories in Japan. The production system malfunction, not caused by a cyberattack, disrupted the manufacturing process, impacting a significant part of Toyota’s global output.
The company has swiftly taken action to fix the issue. Starting Wednesday, operations will gradually restart, with 25 production lines across twelve plants resuming in the morning, followed by the final two plants in the afternoon.
The glitch raised concerns about Toyota’s ability to recover the lost production during this downtime. The incident also affected affiliated firms like Toyota Industries, which had operations at two engine plants because of the glitch.
While the exact cause of the malfunction remains under investigation, Toyota’s just-in-time inventory management system, designed to reduce costs, faced a hurdle due to this disruption. Despite the setback, Toyota had been bouncing back from previous challenges, with a notable production increase in the first half of the year.
As the glitch gets resolved, Toyota aims to swiftly regain its momentum and ensure a steady flow of vehicles from its Japanese factories.
