Toyota to suspend North American plants

Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky.

Toyota Motor Corp. said Friday that it will suspend production at its North American plants in a series of one-day shutdowns this month as a result of parts shortages caused by the earthquake that hit Japan.

The temporary shutdowns will affect 25,000 workers, but there will be no layoffs, the world’s No. 1 automaker said.

A March 11 earthquake and tsunami damaged auto-parts plants in northeastern Japan, causing shortages.

All 13 of its North American plants will have down time, though the duration may vary at a few plants, Toyota spokesman Mike Goss said.

For most plants, the one-day shutdowns will begin Friday and end April 25, the company said. Toyota said future production plans will be determined later.

“We’re just monitoring supplier progress on a daily basis, and we’ll make decisions as we go along,” Goss said.

The North American plants have been using parts in their inventory or relying on those that were shipped before the earthquake.