The brake supplier of Toyota, Aisin Advics Co., said in a statement that it was hit by an explosion regarding one of its plants in central Japan.
Aisin Advics Co. is an auto parts supplier company and as per the latest report, they are still establishing the extent of the damage from the blast. They were not able to detail yet which of their customers will be impacted as it remains unclear what supplies were damaged from the explosion, Reuters said.
Automotive News reported that four people were sent to the hospital due to the blast and one of them was seriously injured. It was not detailed how many workers were in the area when the blast took place. A fire official added that the explosion occurred at around 12:05 P.M. local time on Monday and it was near the painting line for the brakes at the Kariya plant. It remains unclear, however, what caused the blast. The matter is still being investigated.
Bloomberg said that Aisin Advics Co. is majority owned by Aisin Seiki Co., which is also a Toyota supplier. Aisin Advics Co. have two production plants in central Japan and manufactures globally. Aisin Seiki Co. counts Denso Corp., Sumitomo Electric Industries, and Toyota as their minority shareholders.
This is not the first time that Toyota has suffered from production delay this year due to damage to a plant operated by Aisin Seiki. Another affiliate of Aisin Seki, Aichi Steel Corp., suffered from fire. This then disrupted Toyota's engine, transmission, and chassis component supplies in February this year.
Last April, Toyota also reported that 80,000 vehicles were not made due to the earthquakes that struck Kyushu last April. Toyota's Japan production has decreased 17 percent in April equating to 258, 387.
Toyota has not issued any statement yet regarding the blast.
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