Japanese bathroom giant Toto has stopped taking new orders on certain products in the Asian market due to material shortages, as the war in Iran continues to put pressure on global supply chains.
Toto, which is best known for creating the Washlet smart toilet in the 1980s, told its business partners of the suspension on April 13, with the production halt applying to its prefabricated and modular bathrooms,
A spokesperson for the company has confirmed to kbbreview that the disruption is currently only affecting products distributed in the Chinese and Japanese markets, and that at this time, “all other markets are not affected”.
This follows several weeks of Japanese product manufacturers being forced to either cut production or heavily increase prices due to dwindling supplies of naptha oil, a material which is used in the production of plastic.
According to the Japan Petrochemical Industry Association, as much as 40% of Japan’s naptha supply is reliant on Middle Eastern imports, which are currently unstable due to the ongoing conflict in the region.
Toto primarily uses the material in the walls and ceilings of its modular bathrooms. Said to be very common amongst Japanese homeowners, these prefabricated modular bathrooms typically include a bathtub, waterproof flooring, walls, a ceiling and a shower.
In a statement provided yesterday, Toto reassured customers that orders which have already received delivery date confirmations will still be shipped as scheduled. Additionally, the company said it was working diligently to begin accepting new orders in controlled stages from next week.
The company continued: “We are working to improve our internal systems and procedures to return to normal operations, and with the cooperation of the government and other relevant parties, we are continuing to work diligently as a company to ensure a stable supply of certain components.
“We sincerely apologize for any temporary inconvenience this may cause our customers, but we are working hard to be able to accept orders as usual as soon as possible.”