Toyota PH restarts Vios, Innova production at 50% capacity

Toyota Motor PH reopens Santa Rosa, Laguna factory

After two months sitting idle, Toyota Motor Philippines has just announced that they have restarted their factory in Santa Rosa, Laguna.

On May 18, the TMP factory reopened while adhering to the strict Modified ECQ guidelines. Toyota builds two models at their Santa Rosa, Laguna factory. One is the Toyota Innova, the country's best selling 7-seater multi-purpose vehicle. The other is the Toyota Vios, the country's top-selling vehicle.

Toyota says that prior to the restart of the factory, they are implementing some precautionary measures to help stem the spread of the new coronavirus. Presumably they are implementing sanitation guidelines, mandatory PPEs and social distancing, and that begins with the workforce.

The factory is technically classified as Category II under the guidelines, so that means Toyota can operate at 50% of its capacity. So instead of operating two shifts, they will operate just one; that means about 700 Toyota team members (50%) reported for work.

The maximum rated production output of the factory is about 66,000 units per year over two shifts. Half that means 33,000 per year, or about 2750 vehicles (give or take) per month if the MECQ remains in place over a longer period of time.

Of the 70 Toyota dealerships all around the country, 66 are now operational. All the reopened dealers will be adhering to the new normal with enhanced safety and sanitation precautions in place. Customers are encouraged to book appointments with dealerships (either when purchasing a car or servicing an existing one) so that dealerships can manage visitors. Like the TMP plant, Toyota dealers will also be operating at a reduced capacity to comply with MECQ and GCQ guidelines, depending on the location.

Toyota also announced that vehicle maintenance operations have resumed at their service stations: Toyota Alabang Service Center, Toyota North EDSA Service Center, Toyota Davao Body, and Paint Center, Toyota Shaw Service Center, and Toyota Negros Occidental Service Center.