TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp (T:7203) said it would resume operations on Thursday at production lines in Japan that were suspended earlier this week after an explosion at a plant operated by a supplier choked off the automaker's supply chain.
Toyota said that it had already restarted some lines by late afternoon on Wednesday, and added that all lines affected by the supply shortage, including those at its Motomachi and Takaoka plants in Aichi Prefecture, would resume on Thursday.
The stoppages were prompted by an explosion early on Monday at a plant operated by Aisin Advics Co in Aichi Prefecture. The company, which is majority owned by Toyota group supplier Aisin Seiki Co (T:7259), specialises in braking systems and is a major supplier to the automaker.
The production delay was Toyota's third this year and follows supply chain disruptions caused by damage to a plant operated by an Aisin Seiki subsidiary following earthquakes in southern Japan and a fire at a steel plant owned by Aichi Steel Corp (T:5482), another major supplier.