Typhoon Dolphin Forces Toyota to Halt Production at Multiple Japanese Plants
Following this week’s earthquake in Japan, Typhoon Dolphin struck the Japanese islands overnight, prompting widespread shutdowns of automotive manufacturing plants. Toyota announced the closure of 17 production lines across nine factories, including major sites in Motomachi, Tsutsumi, and Takahata within the Toyota City complex, which houses the company’s main production, R&D, and development facilities. Additionally, Toyota’s subsidiary Daihatsu’s plants in Kyoto were also closed. The shutdowns were implemented not only due to worker safety concerns but also because of disruptions to global shipping routes.
Unlike the earthquake-related closures that affected a limited number of models, the typhoon-induced stoppages impact production lines for popular vehicles such as the Corolla, Camry, Prius, RAV4, the electric Toyota CHR, various Land Cruiser variants, as well as Lexus models RZ and LBX. However, these production halts are expected to be temporary and unlikely to affect the Israeli car market, as they stem from precautionary measures rather than physical damage to manufacturing lines.
Other Japanese automakers are also feeling the effects of recent natural disasters. Honda plans to resume operations at some earthquake-affected plants only by August 19, while Mitsubishi and Nissan have already restarted production. The Japanese automotive industry operates on a Just In Time (JIT) manufacturing model, relying heavily on precise supply chain timing and external suppliers for many vehicle components. This system requires parts to arrive at factories shortly before assembly, minimizing inventory but increasing vulnerability to supply disruptions.
In response to past disasters like the Fukushima incident, Japanese automakers have developed contingency plans to quickly switch suppliers within hours if needed. Semiconductor supplier Renesas, which provides parts to Toyota, resumed production ahead of schedule this week. A Renesas spokesperson noted that the company has spent the last 15 years strengthening business continuity plans and supply chain resilience to better withstand earthquakes and other disruptions.
