Toyota prioritiese focusing on what is directly in the scope of its control and during the semiconductor crisis took the very disciplined strategy of only making cars if there were parts available, according to Leon van der Merwe, vice-president of supply chain and production control at TME.

“At Toyota… everything that we do is about going back to basics [and] managing what is in our control,” he told delegates at this year’s Automotive Logistics and Supply Chain Europe conference. He said there were issues beyond the control of the sector and it was futile to try and deal with them. What was much more effective was for logistics and supply chain teams to actually focus on what they can control.

However, what that response to the crisis has also resulted in, is turning Toyota from a plant-centric carmaker into one centred on the supply chain.