Japanese toilet maker Toto halts bathroom orders after Iran war upends supply chain
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Toto joins growing list of Japanese manufacturers cutting production, raising prices amid tightening naphtha supplies used in plastics.
PHOTO: AFP
TOKYO – Japanese toilet maker Toto has suspended new orders for its prefabricated bathrooms due to a materials shortage as the Iran war continues to squeeze the global oil supply chain.
Toto notified business partners of the halt on April 13, a representative said. The suspension applies to prefabricated and modular bathrooms and the firm has yet to decide when orders will resume.
Toto joins a list of Japanese manufacturers who have cut production or hiked prices in recent weeks due to tightening supplies of naphtha, an oil feedstock used in plastic production. Japan relies on Middle Eastern imports for about 40 per cent of its naphtha supply, according to the Japan Petrochemical Industry Association.
On April 13 afternoon, after Nikkei reported the news, Toto’s shares dropped as much as 8.8 per cent, the most since October 2024.
“The procurement of raw materials both domestically and internationally has become extremely unstable” as a result of the Middle East conflict, Toto said in a statement on April 10.
Toto is facing a shortage of organic solvents used in the coatings of walls and ceilings in its modular bathrooms, said its representative. The bathrooms, which are common in Japanese apartments, typically include a bathtub, waterproof flooring, walls, a ceiling, and a shower.
Housing equipment maker Takara Standard on April 6 also said Middle East tensions are destabilising its supplies of naphtha-related materials. Its shares slumped as much as 6 per cent. BLOOMBERG
