Timeline of Key Events

(As of April 11, 2018)

Following a June 2016 quality issue detected at Shinko Wire Stainless Company, Ltd., a group company that is part of Kobe Steel’s Iron and Steel Business, we have conducted a series of actions beginning with general quality inspections to which the entire Group within and outside of Japan is subject.

November 2016

We established the Quality Management Section in the MONODZUKURI (Product Manufacturing) Planning and Promotion Department at the head office to strengthen quality control.

April 2017

The Quality Management Section started an audit of compliance with customers’ specifications, in addition to public standards.

Early August 2017

We requested the entire Group conduct a self-inspection (of the records for the past year) beginning in September, to be completed within two months.

End of August 2017

A self-inspection conducted by the Aluminum & Copper Business ahead of the planned schedule revealed that four of its business locations were involved in misconduct relating to quality inspection. This finding was reported to the President, and we immediately ceased shipping nonconforming products.

September 12, 2017

We established four task forces (Emergency Audit, Customer Support, Cause Investigation, and Public Announcement) under the President, started informing our customers, and conducted an emergency audit, including on other businesses.

October 8, 2017

We made public the misconduct that occurred at the Aluminum & Copper Business. Subsequently, we publicly announced the following incidents:


October 26, 2017

Upon general completion of the self-inspection by each business and the head office’s emergency audit, we made public the progress of the safety verification process and the establishment of an Independent Investigation Committee (IIC).

November 10, 2017

We publicly issued a report on the company’s investigation into root causes and measures to prevent recurrences. (Please see the link below for more detail.)


The Board of Directors established a Quality Governance Restructuring Deliberation Committee as its advisory organ.

December 21, 2017

We announced that the IIC’s investigation would be completed around the end of February 2018.
We reassigned the responsibilities of three executive officers of the Aluminum & Copper Business.

January 1, 2018

We established a Quality Management Department at the head office.

March 6, 2018

We issued a report on misconduct in the Kobe Steel Group.
We announced the resignation of Representative Directors.

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