“Insufficient Disk Space” On Servers Forced Toyota Production Halt Briefly

This trivial yet common computer error crippled Toyota's production efforts in Japan recently.

Yes, we’re certain most – if not all – of you who work with computers daily might have seen this warning pop up from time to time. Whilst a lack of computer disk space might seem like a trivial everyday problem, it also can cause major repercussions on a grander scale as Toyota found out recently.

In fact, “Insufficient Disk Space” error from its servers was what the firm cited as the cause that led to production being halted at its domestic plants in Japan towards the end of last month. Production was suspended in some domestic plants from the first shift of Aug 29, then at 28 lines in all 14 plants from the evening shift of the same day.

The server error saw all 14 Toyota plants across Japan halting production on Aug 29. These plants account for roughly a third of the brand's global outputs.

This glitch caused serious repercussions not only towards Toyota’s domestic production and output timelines, it also affected the marque’s global sales effort too as these factories account for roughly a third of the carmaker’s output globally. Adding to the complication too is Toyota’s renowned ‘Just In Time’ production flow.

Upon further investigation, Toyota discovered that regular server maintenance work conducted recently didn’t go according to plan. The firm explained that data gathered in its database was being deleted and organised, but insufficient disk space error halted said process altogether. Also, because the servers ran on the same system, its backup function also failed, meaning no automatic switchover occurred.

Toyota says the situation has been rectified and measures were taken to ensure no repeats.

Following this, the Japanese automaking giant had no other choice but to halt production across these affected factories sprawled across Japan. Thankfully, production operations resumed once the data was moved to a different server, this time with an adequately bigger storage capacity. Toyota also adds that preventative measures were undertaken to ensure the same problem doesn’t repeat.

Perhaps this server fix came just in time too given that Toyota just unveiled its brand new Century SUV yesterday that’s set to enter its domestic production line, specifically at its Tahara Plant. Though not a high-volume product, Toyota does expect to shift 30 units of said new opulent SUV monthly. Considering its JPY25 million (approx. RM800,000) base price, said output target is unsurprising then.