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Case 4 Machinery & Engineering Company: Takasago Works

Special Feature: Quality Assurance

Kobe Steel's commitment to "Only One" products is sustained by innovation in quality manufacturing. In this special feature, we explore the issue of quality assurance from the perspectives of our main businesses. Meeting Individualized Demand for Product Quality Through Detailed Quality Control The machinery for which our Quality Assurance Section is responsible can be divided minutely into some 400 different kinds that are primarily designed and manufactured according to customer order. One way that we ensure the quality of the various machines we manufacture is through a general-use quality-assurance manual we developed on the basis of ISO 9001 standards. However, because each type of machine we produce has unique characteristics, we have also established two separate groups comprised of 15 or so members each that handle the quality assurance concerns of the two major production centers within Takasago Works: the Industrial Machinery Plant and the Rotating Machinery Plant. These groups are in charge of monitoring individualized machinery orders to ensure that our products fully meet the quality demands of our customers. In addition, 60 inspectors working in the Quality Assurance Section conduct quality inspections. These staff members are employees of Shinko Inspection & Service Co., Ltd., a member of the Kobe Steel Group. They conduct both in-house and externally ordered product inspections, as well as provide guidance to vendors who engage in their own inspection programs. One of the special characteristics of operations at the Takasago Works is the large number of parts and machinery that are procured. Currently, we are supplied by approximately 2,000 vendors and conduct evaluations of each of them about once every three years. When we begin a relationship with a vendor, we conduct an initial audit to confirm that its products meet our quality standards. General test inspection of a Takasago Works product (confirming compressor performance) Mitsutoshi Mino Manager, Quality Assurance Section, Quality Assurance Department Takasago Machinery Center Emphasis on Verification After Quality Complaints Have Been Settled Although our strict quality assurance programs are designed to eliminate all customer complaints, in practice this is highly difficult to achieve. To further enhance our efforts, we established the Q-Net system in fiscal 2005, which feeds back information concerning customer inquiries and complaints to our product design teams. Any complaints received are studied carefully, and the cause of the problem, as well as the countermeasures taken, are entered into the Q-Net system to prevent recurrence. Finally, follow-up studies are conducted at intervals of six months and one year later to ascertain the ultimate effectiveness of the steps that were taken. Through the accumulation of data of this kind, we will develop a source of information that is more useful than what has been available up to now. The job of the Quality Assurance Section is to adopt the perspective of the customer to help ensure that customer's quality standards are met. We are committed to continually improving the performance of quality assurance programs at Takasago Works.