Quality and PL Management

Basic Approach and Policy

Basic Approach for Quality Management

The Nabtesco Group has long been creating new markets, developing products and ensuring the safety of our products with our customers, who have trustworthy relationships with us. Besides achieving “safety, comfort and a sense of security” of products, we also ensure them for customers who purchase our products as well as for end users by collecting and analyzing information on the actual conditions and environment in which products are used. We then utilize and reflect the gathered information in manufacturing our products to achieve the safety, reliability, and stability requirements, as well as the high functionality and performance necessary for realizing maximum comfort.

Nabtesco Group Quality and PL Policy

To fulfill our corporate social responsibility by delivering products with the highest levels of safety, comfort, security and reliability, we will:

  1. 1.Give priority to safety over anything else, based on the principle of respect for people;
  2. 2.Meet safety and other quality needs of products through the integration of business activities and quality and PL activities; and
  3. 3.Realize product quality, which satisfies market demand, by conducting safety and other quality evaluations prior to the release of products to the market.
Nabtesco Group Quality and PL Targets

In line with the Group’s basic quality and PL policy, each of the in-house companies is conducting activities to achieve their own PL targets, set according to their respective situations.

In and after FY2022, we will strive to achieve the group-wide targets set for the two major activities listed below in a more unified manner across the entire Group.

Item (Initiative) Target for 2022 Target for 2023
Employee education on product safety 100% 100%
Product safety examination 100% 100%

System

Promotion Framework by Quality & PL Committee

The Quality & PL Committee promotes manufacturing procedures, which incorporate quality engineering, quality control and PL management processes (including those for product safety management) through listening to the opinions of customers and end users to meet the ever-changing needs of society.

Structure of Quality and PL Management, Education System of R&D and High Manufacturing Quality

Structure of Quality and PL Management, Education System of R&D and High Manufacturing Quality

Promotion of Quality and PL Management Activities

Nabtesco Group holds annual meetings of the Quality & PL Committee to decide on activity policies for the coming year by identifying what problems and issues have arisen in the Group. Based on these policies, our in-house companies conduct specific activities as a part of their daily operations.

However, since each in-house company deals with different products and customers, it is difficult to audit the activities of all of our in-house companies according to the common rules and criteria. Therefore, we regularly hold meetings with each individual in-house company to better understand their unique situations, to give tailor-made advice and to consider what kind of support we can offer in order to make improvements and to implement more effective Quality and PL measures.

Systematized and Routinized Activities of the Quality & PL Committee

  1. 1.The Quality & PL Committee has been established within the company (Secretariat: Quality Promotion Department).
  2. 2.The objective of the committee is to formulate the criteria for quality control and product liability and safety management at the Nabtesco Group, to establish standard processes to prevent any instances of inferior quality, such as safety-related defects, and to respond appropriately to any quality or product liability problem should it occur, so as to maintain and improve the quality and safety of products. The committee contributes to the Group’s sustainable growth through building trust with our customers.
  3. 3.According to the operating rules, the committee also reviews activities implemented throughout the Group in the previous fiscal year, discusses matters such as annual policies, and main issues to be tackled in the upcoming year, which will be promoted through all in-house companies after approved.

In order to enhance the fundamentals of our design and manufacturing quality, we mandate young engineers to receive intensive training on quality basics, while also providing our overseas bases with quality training and instructions for on-site improvements.

In addition, in response to the COVID-19 crisis, we are fostering remote education on quality and promoting e-learning to build an environment in which we can smoothly continue to provide employees with quality education.

In result of the continued efforts over the long period of time, losses caused by quality defects have steadily been decreasing, and our foundation for the provision of customer safety, comfort and a sense of security have strengthened.

Measures

Measures against Product Accidents

We have various product lineups such as aircraft flight control actuation systems, brake components for railroad vehicles, remote control systems for marine vessels, platform doors for railroad stations and automatic doors for buildings. Due to the very nature of these products, they could pose serious risks to human life in the event of a malfunction-related worst-case scenario. Based on this recognition, we have a complete support system to enable us to respond appropriately to any contingency. In particular, with customers who use our component products, we foster close communications and cooperation to ensure the quality and safety of their products and thus prevent any product-related accidents. Consequently, we have gained a high rating over the reliability of products. We also provide a consultation service about our products 24 hours a day through the website.

Until the present moment since the foundation of Nabtesco, we have not had any major casualty incidents incurred by the use of our products (product liability).

Response System for Accidents from Faulty Products and Quality Defects

Response System for Accidents from Faulty Products and Quality Defects

Certification for Quality Management System

All the production bases of Nabtesco Corporation as well as major Nabtesco Group companies in Japan and major overseas Group companies have obtained ISO and other necessary certification for their quality management systems. In terms of sales volume, over 90% of the Group’s products are manufactured under these certified quality management systems.

Quality MGS Public certification situation

Certification standard Certified date Certification agency
Precision Equipment Company ISO9001 Mar. 8, 1996 JQA
Railroad Products Company ISO9001 Mar. 26, 1999 LRQA
Marine Control Systems Company ISO9001 Jul. 20, 1995 LRQA
Power Control Company ISO9001 Nov. 26, 1999 LRQA
Aerospace Company JISQ9100 Dec. 12, 2003 BSK
Accessibility Innovations Company ISO9001 Dec. 10, 1996 LRQA
Nabtesco Automotive Corporation IATF16949 Mar. 5, 2018 LRQA
PACRAFT Co., Ltd. ISO9001 Oct. 10, 2009 JQA
Nabtesco Service Co., Ltd. ISO9001 Dec. 21, 2009 UKAS