July 9, 2019
Kobe Steel, Ltd.
We once again deeply apologize for the enormous amount of trouble we have caused to customers, suppliers, shareholders and many others concerning the misconduct at Kobe Steel, Ltd. and its group companies.
Kobe Steel announces that its Moka Plant received today a notice from the Japan Quality Assurance Organization (JQA) that its suspended JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) certification had been restored.
In regard to the misconduct concerning a portion of the aluminum and copper products manufactured by Kobe Steel announced on October 8, 2017, the Moka Plant received a notice from the JQA on December 8, 2017 that its JIS certification had been suspended owing to problems in its quality management system and other areas, as a result of a review by the JQA. In response to this, the Moka Plant undertook initiatives to rebuild its quality management system, which led to lifting the suspension of JIS certification at the Moka Plant.
Kobe Steel will now be able to provide JIS-certified products from the Moka Plant. After a transition period, Kobe Steel will switch sequentially to JIS-certified products.
Kobe Steel, Ltd. and its group companies are continuing to steadily implement measures to prevent the recurrence of misconduct. We are striving to restore suspended JIS certification or reacquire JIS certification, in cases where certification had been canceled, at other business locations to restore the trust of their customers.
The impact of this matter on Kobe Steel’s business performance is unclear. Kobe Steel will make an announcement when the degree of the impact is known.