CSR

[ISO 26000 Core Subject] Consumer Issues

We undertake quality management from the viewpoint of customers to maintain their trust, based on the Fujikura Quality Policy, which we have set as company-wide guidelines on quality. We began conducting G-FPS activities on a full scale in fiscal 2006, targeting not only the quality of products but also the quality of a range of job processes, believing that the quality of products depends on the quality of our daily manufacturing operations.

In fiscal 2011, our manufacturing bases began conducting self-audits on quality as a new initiative to further improve quality. Also as part of management innovation, we launched the Quality Improvement Group, which conducts monthly follow-ups on quality. Recognizing that quality is a key indicator of our comprehensive strength, our sales, development, design, manufacturing, and indirect departments are working in unison on activities that examine our business from the viewpoint of customers.

The business units and domestic and overseas subsidiaries of Fujikura have built and are operating quality management systems (QMSs) optimized for their business operations based on the ISO 9000 standards for quality management systems.

Fujikura's Corporate Quality Assurance Committee, which is chaired by the director in charge of quality assurance and composed of the general managers of the business units holds regular meetings, where they determine corporate policies and quality targets, discuss a range of corporate problems, and exchange opinions and make decisions on the issues.
The Quality Assurance Inspection Committee performs audits on each business unit and subsidiary of Fujikura to check the state of QMS operations. Also in fiscal 2011, the committee continued to carry out QMS audits focusing on monozukuri (manufacturing).

Based on the recognition that complaints represent the worst responses from customers, we will continuously place priority on reducing the number of customer complaints. Most of Fujikura’s products are manufactured at its domestic and overseas subsidiaries, and we cooperate with these Group companies to identify the causes of any complaints and implement measures to prevent the reoccurrence of similar problems.

The following graph shows the complaints we received from customers. We expanded our data collection scope in order to understand the actual situation and to make improvements in quality issues more widely across the Group. The result for fiscal 2011 is shown in comparison with fiscal 2010.

Serious complaints are reported to top management, including the director in charge of quality assurance, and an ad hoc team is established to identify the causes of problems where necessary. We take these measures to minimize the damage caused to customers. We will continue to implement quality assurance activities to reduce the number of serious complaints to zero.

Whenever we have a "product accident" as defined in Japan's Consumer Product Safety Act, it is reported to top management, and first priority is given to implementing countermeasures for the accident. Fujikura deems it essential to ensure product safety and we are using product safety-related risk assessment tools (such as the R-Map method) and introducing product safety activities focusing on the design and manufacturing processes to prevent product accidents.

In fiscal 2011, we provided training seminars on the R-Map method at our 21 bases, including Group companies.

As part of Fujikura's human resources development program, the Company provides young engineers with stratified education on quality management annually. We are now reviewing the details of quality education under the slogan "firsthand knowledge" to help employees acquire the basic and practical quality management abilities through this education. Employees engaged in R&D, who definitely need such education for their jobs, are taught statistical quality management immediately after joining the Company.

As for our small-group activities, we held Global Fujikura "KAIZEN" Presentation meetings four times a year. Thanks to the G-FPS activities that gave inspirations also to the indirect departments, in addition to presentations on conventional improvements made to manufacturing processes, a lot of presentations were given on improving office operations.