The OEM’s manufacturing operations have been suspended since the huge explosions at the port on August 12th, which killed more than 100 people, injured hundreds more, and completely destroyed thousands of cars.
In a statement, Toyota said, “We will be gradually restarting production. We will continue to prioritise safety above everything else, and will proceed with caution while monitoring the situation.”
Toyota said that at least 67 of its employees who live in the surrounding areas, or in company accommodation, were injured in the explosions. However, at the time of the explosions, the plant was on summer shutdown, so production was not immediately affected, and fewer Toyota employees were in the vicinity of the blasts.
Mark Fulthorpe, director, IHS Automotive light-vehicle production forecast said that the estimated loss to Toyota’s production would be 2,200 units a day. The OEM manufactures the Corolla, Vios, Crown Royal, and Reiz sedans at the two plants, and produced 432,340 units there in 2014..
Toyota also suspended production at its Changchun plant in northern China, which manufactures the RAV4, for two days last week due to delays in part shipments. However, the OEM has plans to arrange two substitute production days to make up for the losses.
Toyota has considered re-routing its imports to other ports, and with Shanghai and Dalian looking the most likely. The two ports are both large enough to prevent any significant issues with logistics.
