“The key objective for the stoppage of elevators specifically is to raise awareness amongst employees, and to remind them of the commitment that Toyota has towards the idea of increasing competitiveness through staying lean and reducing wastage,” a Toyota spokesperson told the BBC.
Toyota has not revealed how much the company is expecting to save from the shutdown, but confirmed similar measures were put into place following the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008, which saw the yen rise above the dollar.
Air conditioning and temperature have reportedly also been adjusted in the company office.
“At the same time, beyond cost-considerations, the above measures, alongside the usage of LED light bulbs, also help to conserve the environment. Being environmentally conscious has always been one of the important values within Toyota,” a Toyota spokesperson said.
“Hence, we at Toyota are actively motivated to find creative ways to fulfil our commitment,” she added.
Scott Brownlee, press relations and social media general manager for Toyota UK, said the company’s general philosophy is to identify and make marginal gains.
“It means that small savings and benefits, no matter how small compared to the overall task, can add up to an overall benefit,“ he told the Independent.
The company has reported three straight years of profit, hitting a record 2.31 trillion yen (£17.7 billion) in the year ending in March 2016, on the back of a stimulus programme by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe aimed at weakening the yen.
The weakened yen boosted Toyota’s exports by making its products cheaper in other countries.
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However the company warned net profits could fall by a third in the next fiscal year.
“Until now, we benefited from currencies and our profits expanded beyond our actual capabilities,” Toyota President Akio Toyoda said in May.
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