Quality Management
Quality Improvement Initiatives
Shareholders and Investors, Suppliers and Other Trade Partners, Employees, Global Environment
Commitment
Message from the Chairperson of Quality Committee
Chairperson of Quality Committee
Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer
The Sumitomo Riko Group has made "Safety, Environment, Compliance, and Quality (S.E.C.Q.)" the basis of its business operations.
The Quality Committee started its activities in FY2017 with committee members appointed across the organization, and has reported and discussed important issues and activities related to group-wide management, such as critical quality issues and group-wide quality activities.
In FY2023, the committee has delved into the root causes of individual quality issues, and followed up on the status of completion and horizontal deployment of rectifying measures, as well as encouraging online participation of department managers to promote information sharing at the management level. In FY2024, the committee will continue to report and discuss critical quality issues, and follow up on efforts to ensure customer trust.
In order to realize the "2029 Sumitomo Riko Group Vision" (2029V), it will be necessary to maintain and improve quality to meet the increasingly sophisticated requirements of customers, including CASE compliance and the development of environmentally friendly products. With the Quality Committee as the cornerstone of our efforts, we will strengthen our quality assurance and preventive measures in line with the changing times, based on the Sumitomo Spirit of “Banji-nissei,” “Shinyo-kakujitsu” and “Fusu-furi”.
Since its foundation, the Sumitomo Riko Group has grown as a manufacturing company. Through the operation of the Quality Committee, we will continue to deliver high-quality products that flexibly respond to the evolution of manufacturing, and will contribute to the development of society as a "Global Excellent Manufacturing Company".
We hope that our stakeholders will gain a better understanding of our group's quality initiatives through this website, and we look forward to your further support in the future.
The Quality Committee started its activities in FY2017 with committee members appointed across the organization, and has reported and discussed important issues and activities related to group-wide management, such as critical quality issues and group-wide quality activities.
In FY2023, the committee has delved into the root causes of individual quality issues, and followed up on the status of completion and horizontal deployment of rectifying measures, as well as encouraging online participation of department managers to promote information sharing at the management level. In FY2024, the committee will continue to report and discuss critical quality issues, and follow up on efforts to ensure customer trust.
In order to realize the "2029 Sumitomo Riko Group Vision" (2029V), it will be necessary to maintain and improve quality to meet the increasingly sophisticated requirements of customers, including CASE compliance and the development of environmentally friendly products. With the Quality Committee as the cornerstone of our efforts, we will strengthen our quality assurance and preventive measures in line with the changing times, based on the Sumitomo Spirit of “Banji-nissei,” “Shinyo-kakujitsu” and “Fusu-furi”.
Since its foundation, the Sumitomo Riko Group has grown as a manufacturing company. Through the operation of the Quality Committee, we will continue to deliver high-quality products that flexibly respond to the evolution of manufacturing, and will contribute to the development of society as a "Global Excellent Manufacturing Company".
We hope that our stakeholders will gain a better understanding of our group's quality initiatives through this website, and we look forward to your further support in the future.
Basic Approach to Quality
The Sumitomo Riko Group is engaged in quality improvement activities under the company-wide quality policy, led by the Quality Committee and the Quality Assurance Headquarters. By establishing a quality assurance system appropriate for a global company, we ensure the high quality and safety of our products.
Sumitomo Riko Group’s Quality Policy
The Sumitomo Riko Group considers it our mission to satisfy our customers and provide attractive products to the world. In order to fulfill this mission, we are engaged in quality improvement activities based on the company-wide quality policy of "All members of the Sumitomo Riko Group will pursue customer first and quality first on a global basis through continuous improvement ~To become a company trusted by society and customers through TQM (Total Quality Management) activities and S.E.C.Q.-centered business operations~."
Approach to quality assurance in the Sumitomo Riko Group
The Sumitomo Riko Group ensures quality by applying the following two approaches in the pursuit of safety and security.
The first is "Ji-Kotei-Kanketsu" (own-process completion). We provide products that can be used with peace of mind through activities that ensure safe products by implementing Ji-Kotei-Kanketsu in each process of product design, production preparation, and mass production (see Fig. 1).
The second is "Quality Governance." Business divisions provide products and services to customers and manage quality risks, and the company-wide Quality Assurance Departments monitor, support, and provide guidance to reduce quality risks so as to ensure the trust of customers and society (See Fig. 2).
The first is "Ji-Kotei-Kanketsu" (own-process completion). We provide products that can be used with peace of mind through activities that ensure safe products by implementing Ji-Kotei-Kanketsu in each process of product design, production preparation, and mass production (see Fig. 1).
The second is "Quality Governance." Business divisions provide products and services to customers and manage quality risks, and the company-wide Quality Assurance Departments monitor, support, and provide guidance to reduce quality risks so as to ensure the trust of customers and society (See Fig. 2).
Quality Control Systems
Quality Assurance Systems
In 2016, Sumitomo Riko appointed a Chief Quality Officer (CQO) and established the Quality Assurance Headquarters, integrating the Group's quality functions.
With an organizational structure designed to ensure independence from business units and objectivity, the Quality Assurance Headquarters enhances the Group's quality assurance by strengthening the auditing function and working to establish a collaborative framework covering business units.
By implementing quality management systems exceeding customer expectations, we are able to supply our customers as well as all other stakeholders with safe, reliable products that offer them peace of mind.
With an organizational structure designed to ensure independence from business units and objectivity, the Quality Assurance Headquarters enhances the Group's quality assurance by strengthening the auditing function and working to establish a collaborative framework covering business units.
By implementing quality management systems exceeding customer expectations, we are able to supply our customers as well as all other stakeholders with safe, reliable products that offer them peace of mind.
The Quality Committee
The Sumitomo Riko Group has added Quality (Q) to Safety, Environment, and Compliance (S.E.C.), which have been the basis of its business operations since fiscal 2017 onward, changing it to S.E.C.Q. In line with this change, the "Quality Committee" has been established to strengthen the function of monitoring whether quality improvement activities are being carried out.
Medium-Term Vision for Quality and Product Safety
The Sumitomo Riko Group will globally promote the following three priority activities to achieve the ideal state of quality toward 2029V.
＜The ideal state of quality toward 2029V＞
- To be known as “Sumitomo Riko of Quality,” which prevents critical quality problems from occurring
- To be a “Sound Company” where no quality compliance problems occur
- To be known as “Sumitomo Riko of Quality,” which prevents critical quality problems from occurring
- To be a “Sound Company” where no quality compliance problems occur
1. Improvement of Product Quality
We will aim to eliminate critical quality problems by promoting the "reliable implementation of recurrence prevention," "thorough verification of change points," and "enhancement of abnormality detection capabilities". We will also build a quality assurance system that extends upstream (research and development) to eliminate defects at the root.
2. Improvement of Operational Quality
We will disseminate the Global Quality Standards (GQS) to all our global bases and establish GQS that are appropriate for new products and new manufacturing methods.
We will also strengthen TQM activities in coordination with company-wide DX promotion activities, including enhancement of quality education by job level, penetration of small-group activities to group companies, and reinforcement of important themes through penetration of policy management.
We will also strengthen TQM activities in coordination with company-wide DX promotion activities, including enhancement of quality education by job level, penetration of small-group activities to group companies, and reinforcement of important themes through penetration of policy management.
3. Elimination of Quality Compliance Risks
We will regularly conduct quality compliance education, build a system for auditing quality contracts with customers on a global basis, and establish a system to prevent quality fraud by utilizing digitalization and automation.