Toyota expects to halt production in US

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Washington Post

Toyota says it expects to halt production at some of its factories in North America because of shortages of parts from Japan. (March 24) (/The Associated Press)


Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/toyota-expects-to-halt-production-in-us/2011/03/24/ABYaqsPB_video.html

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It's a video. Even though it's from the AP, this is the only hit I can find for this story. Note that the headline is misleading. As the brief text correctly notes, Toyota's plan is to halt production at some factories, not that it plans to halt all production in the US.

ETA: I found a more balanced story:

Japanese automakers to idle factories in U.S.

Japanese automakers are planning to idle U.S. plants and are considering shipping more parts from the U.S. to Japan after the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and subsequent crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant have disrupted parts deliveries.

Toyota told U.S. workers on Wedneday that some of their plants will be idled soon because of the disruptions.

"We don't have specifics on when, which plants, how many days," said Toyota spokeswoman Carri Chandler. "We have eliminated overtime and Saturday production as a precautionary step to conserve parts from Japan."

[bluestateguy]

1. American workers stand ready to make the needed auto parts

Just give the order, and American workers stand ready to make whatever parts Toyota says they need.

[Auntie Bush]

2. Why don't they start making those parts in the US?

[amandabeech]

4. Michigan does not get earthquakes, and only occasionally tornadoes.

Flooding is usually local and limited.

There is ample water (so long as it is cleaned up after use), a large skilled worforce, community colleges just waiting to develop programs, and the best automotive engineering program in the U.S., along with Toyota's U.S. technical center.

New UAW workers make $14-$15-ish, health benefits are by no means Cadillac (but check out the Caddy CTS like all the boys involved in the GM bailout), and defined benefit pension plans are out the window.

Housing is cheap, even in areas with good schools.

Oh, and those "Pure Michigan" TV ads only touch on the beauty of the state.

[madrchsod]

5. why? because toyota wants the cheapest cost per unit.

i used to work for a toyota supplier. it`s always the cost per unit and they squeezed price each year. we were forced to buy the cheapest sub assemblies which meant buying from some god awful supplier from india. i felt sorry for the workers in india that were making these parts because the working conditions must have been awful. 0 quality control and worse was the dead bugs,dried blood,and skin rashes from handling the parts.

we can make all those parts here in the usa but toyota won`t make a huge profit on it`s american made /assembled autos and trucks. at one time 50% of toyota`s world profit cames from it`s north american assembly plants

[Auntie Bush]

6. However, less profit is much better than no profit if they close.

If they used such crap to build their cars...how come they were/are such good cars?

[Frisbee]

7. such good cars?

This is the complete Toyota recall list (2010)

o 2009-2010 RAV4,
o 2009-2010 Corolla,
o 2009-2010 Matrix,
o 2005-2010 Avalon,
o 2007-2010 Camry,
o 2010 Highlander,
o 2007-2010 Tundra,
o 2008-2010 Sequoia
2007-2010 Lexus ES 350
2006-2010 Lexus IS 250 and IS 350


I'm sorry, give me a Ford any day.

[Auntie Bush]

8. OK... You keep your Ford and I'll keep my Camry....however

we had American cars for 40 years and always had all kinds of trouble and breakdowns.
I could tell you some good harrowing stories of our experiences. Then we got our first Camry in 1997...went almost 100,000 miles with NEVER a problem and very little maintenance. I now have a 2007 Camry and plan on keeping it for another 100,000 miles. So good luck to us both!
I now think American cars are great...but until a few years go by to check out their reliability I can't take a chance. I do hope they are reliable.

[msongs]

3. actually the headline is grammatically correct. nt

[Change Happens]

9. Ford stock was up 5.1% today, this will be very good for business

I own some Ford stocks :)

I am hoping this will force Ford and GM to hire more people here in the US to fill demand, I understand they are running with 30% slack capacity, meaning they can produce more with the facilities they have.

[ehrnst]

10. At the Princeton Indiana plant, they will keep paying the workers through the hiatus:

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/apr/04/toyota-says-shutdown-north-american-plants-inevita/

"Some 4,100 Toyota employees work at the plant, as do more than 700 temporary employees who work for staffing company Aerotek.

Both the Aerotek and the Toyota workers will remain employed during the production hiatus, Dillon said.

Workers will have three options: Report to work as usual and work on special projects or plant improvements; take paid vacation days; or take time off without pay.

“It’s the same as we did for weeks and weeks during the economic downturn,” Dillon said."