The March 11 earthquake and tsunami that wreaked havoc on Japan did more than just devastate the people and their land: it put a massive damper on automobile production. With the majority of parts coming from overseas, the North American divisions of Japanese automakers have been hurting ever since and nowhere near 100 percent production. However, with numerous relief efforts taking place some companies are expected to see full capacity sooner than expected and Toyota Motor Company is one of them.
Toyota announced that they expect to reach a full 100 percent production level in North America by September 2011, which is months sooner than they thought. The result is due to overseas parts becoming more and more accessible because of the rapid relief efforts in Japan. Currently, eight of the 12 North American built Toyota models have reached 100 percent production and that number is climbing.
“After September we will focus on making-up lost production as much as possible,” said Steve St. Angelo, executive vice president of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing, North America. “Our team members and suppliers here and in Japan have worked tirelessly to get us back to 100 percent, overcoming many challenges. The effort in Japan has been incredible, especially in the midst of such tragedy and devastation.”
