Toyota group plant hit by water issue resumes operations

Jiji Press

13:33 JST, May 20, 2022

NAGOYA (Jiji Press) — An automobile plant of a Toyota Motor Corp. group company in central Japan resumed regular operations on Thursday evening following a suspension traced to an industrial water supply problem.

Toyota Industries Corp.’s Nagakusa plant in the city of Obu, Aichi Prefecture, suspended daytime operations of two production lines on the day after the water supply issue disrupted parts supplies from Toyota Motor.

The parts procurement issue has now been resolved, informed sources said. The plant is commissioned to produce Toyota Motor’s RAV4, an SUV model.

It came to light Wednesday that the supply of industrial water from a relevant facility in the city of Toyota in the central Japan prefecture, a home to many automotive plants, might be suspended due to a major water leak at the facility.

Toyota Motor, which normally uses industrial water from the water facility for its plants around the city, has switched to well water and took other measures to avoid impacts from the water leak issue.

Stocked and well water is also being used as an alternative to water from the facility in question for plants of Toyota Motor-affiliated major auto parts makers, such as Denso Corp., Aisin Corp. and Jtekt Corp.

Meanwhile, Osaka Gas Co. has been suspending operations at two thermal power plants in the Aichi town of Taketoyo since Wednesday afternoon due to the water supply problem.

The company plans to resume operations at the power stations once stable supply of industrial water is secured, a public relations official said.

Part of steel pipe production at JFE Steel Corp.’s Chita Works in the Aichi city of Handa has also been halted. It is not known when the operations can be restarted, a company official said.