Global semi-conductor shortage not an ‘issue’ for Toyota

Toyota Australia’s vice president of sales and marketing, Sean Hanley, has said the Japanese firm is completely unaffected by the current global semi-conductor shortage currently wreaking havoc for carmakers across the globe.

Speaking at the launch of the 2021 Toyota Kluger family SUV this week, Hanley told press the Aichi outfit had future-proofed its supply chain.

“Due to forward planning, the supply of semi-conductors is not the issue for Toyota that it is for other companies, particularly in Europe,” Hanley said.

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Sean Hanley, Toyota Australia’s vice president of sales and marketing

Hanley added this clever preparation was down to Toyota learning from the hardships it endured in 2011 when Japan was ravaged by terrible natural disasters.

“Our parent company learnt a lot when its supply chain was destroyed following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami,” he said.

“As a result, they [Toyota] now regularly examine multiple tiers of suppliers, discovering at an early stage which suppliers and parts are at risk.”

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The 2021 Toyota Kluger

The marketing and sales VP also said Toyota’s buying team was almost constantly interacting with suppliers, which enabled the carmaker to ensure it has what it needs well ahead of time.

“Our global purchasing group communicates with our suppliers as many as 10 times a day when the parts supply situation is severely tight,” he said.

“This enabled us to secure inventory for semi-conductors months in advance.”

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While Toyota has been fortunate to escape the issues associated with the massive semi-conductor shortage, namely deleting tech and safety features, other carmakers have not been so lucky.

Just last month, Mercedes-Benz Australia confirmed to WhichCar that all of its models based on its MFA2 platform – the A-Class, B-Class, CLA, GLA, GLB – no longer come equipped with the previously standard fit Pre-Safe accident anticipation system due to the worldwide deficit of semi-conductors.