Toyota Motor Corp.'s plant in Tahara, Aichi Prefecture, was forced to suspend production for several days a month from April to June as demand plunged amid the coronavirus pandemic.

But during that time, Toyota engineers at the plant weren't just sitting on their hands. They made use of the time to work on maintenance and update equipment, which can't be done when the production lines are in operation.

In early July, the Tahara plant came back to life after ending the period of reduced production amid the COVID-19 pandemic.