The cause of this production stoppage is a system glitch within Toyota's manufacturing operations, as reported by Reuters. This issue has not only thrown off the sequence of vital components but also sparked questions about the structural integrity of the company's operations. Initial investigations have dismissed the likelihood of a cyberattack, a Toyota representative confirmed to the digital news outlet.
Starting in the early morning of Tuesday local time, the company initially suspended work at 12 of its Japanese plants. The last two facilities were also shut down later that day. The exact scope of production losses remains unknown, but Reuters speculates that the plants collectively account for about one-third of Toyota's worldwide manufacturing output.
The impact of this incident is not confined to Toyota's direct operations. Toyota Industries, a related entity, was forced to scale back activities at two of its engine manufacturing plants due to the ripple effect of Toyota's system failure.
Importantly, this is not the first time Toyota has faced an operational halt. A similar disruption occurred last year when a cyberattack on a supplier's network temporarily stopped production. At that time, Toyota was able to restart its operations using a backup network.
This recent shutdown starkly contrasts with Toyota's ability to recover from issues like semiconductor deficits. According to Reuters data, the automaker had registered a 29 percent increase in production from January to June, marking its first significant rise in two years.
Source: Reuters
