Thai Floods Reach Japan
The Nikkei [sub] says that Toyota’s production in Japan “is being paralyzed by the parts shortage caused by the severe flooding in Thailand, with assembly lines for 20 models to grind to a halt.”
According to the wire service, four minivan models already stopped rolling off the lines, with 16 more models to follow while Japanese plants wait for parts such as electronic components for audio equipment and gauges.
The Nikkei warns:
Toyota “will likely be forced to scale down output of almost all vehicles except its mainline Prius hybrid. It is believed to be having serious problems procuring electronic components for car navigation systems. Despite efforts to purchase parts from countries other than Thailand, production at Japanese plants is not expected to return to normal until the beginning of next year at the earliest.”
Spokespeople at Toyota’s Headquarters in Tokyo denied to comment on the report. Some of the numbers might be off, insiders say, but the gist of the story appears to be true.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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