In the Toyota plant in Valenciennes, April 28, 2020. -

CHINA NOUVELLE

The appearance of a new variant of the coronavirus across the Channel has forced Toyota to take a radical decision.

The Japanese car giant will suspend the activity of three factories: that of Valenciennes in northern France and two in Great Britain.

The communications department of the French factory in Onnaing, near Valenciennes, justified this choice on Monday by “expected parts shortages due to transport delays and […] the uncertain nature of the duration of the border closures for logistics activities ”.

Thus, the Valenciennes plant, which manufactures the Yaris and employs more than 4,000 people in three-shifts, "will no longer be supplied from Tuesday, December 22 at 6:00 am".

“The site which has about 7 hours of stock will be able to produce until the end of the morning shift, ie 1:30 p.m.

The Tuesday afternoon and night shifts will therefore be canceled as well as the 3 shifts scheduled for Wednesday 23 December, ”she said.

The factory was initially scheduled to close Thursday morning, after the night shift, for the holidays.

The just-in-time problem

"Before, stocks were in warehouses, now stocks are on the road in trucks," regretted Eric Pecqueur, CGT delegate.

"It's the just-in-time principle".

“The truck drivers cannot come, they are stranded there,” recalled Thomas Mercier, CFDT union delegate, after an extraordinary CSE was held on Monday.

According to him, this decision could also have consequences for the factory in Poland which manufactures the engines of the Yaris.

Production could restart on Monday, December 28 afternoon, "if the situation evolves", according to management.

France has suspended since Sunday midnight and for 48 hours all travel of people from British soil, "including related to the transport of goods, by road, air, sea or rail".

Only unaccompanied freight remains authorized.

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