Quality Control
The basic stance of the Nikon Group is to make social and economic contributions through activities that provide products and services useful for society.
Quality Control for Products and Services
The Nikon Group supplies products and services with an emphasis on its customers, giving priority to Nikon quality, which includes safety, environmental protection, functionality, performance, and reliability.
This inclusive concept pervades daily production activities and related business operations and is key to our efforts to make products of ever better quality.
Policies and systems for quality control
The Nikon CSR Charter declares that the Nikon Group will supply products and services that excel in quality and safety and are useful to society. To achieve this, the "Quality Control Directive" (QCD) has been established as a set of basic regulations for quality control. In this way information on basic policies and practical operations which is required for accomplishing quality control in each stage including product planning, research and development, production, sales, after-sale services, and disposal—is conveyed throughout the entire Nikon Group.
Quality Control Committee
Based on the corporate philosophy and the Nikon CSR Charter, the Quality Control Committee deliberates and makes decisions on fundamental policies related to quality control and important matters involved with implementation. Also, the committee strives to improve the quality control systems and conducts prompt reviews of the systems to ensure that they are working effectively.
ISO 9001 Certification and consistent compliance with the "Quality First" Policy
Lecture on quality attended by staff from partner companies
The Nikon Group is conducting business operations in line with its ISO 9001 Quality Manual created based on the QCD, and all the business segments of Nikon Corporation and major Group companies have acquired ISO 9001 certification.
We also conclude quality assurance agreements with our business partners based on their understanding of the Nikon Group's "Quality First" policy. Moreover, every November, which is designated as "Quality Month" in Japan, we hold lectures inviting external experts so that employees of both Nikon Group companies and their partner companies can improve their quality-related skills.
During the year ended March 31, 2012, a lecturer from Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd. was invited to Nikon Corporation's Oi Plant to give a lecture titled "Reforming Kirin Brewery's Organizational Culture." Approximately 170 people attended the lecture.
Quality control audits
In the Nikon Group, quality control audits are conducted by a top executive based on the QCD. Specifically, the executive inspects, checks, and evaluates the quality control activities conducted at Nikon Group companies to help them improve the quality of business operations, as well as the quality of products created through these business operations. The audited companies are required to make corrections and improvements to any shortcomings found in the audits, which help them conduct quality control activities in a more consistent manner. Important findings are reported to the Executive Committee and are also used to improve internal controls.
Quality control audits were performed at five departments of Nikon Corporation, and at three major Group companies, during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012.
Product safety assurance
The Nikon Group gives due consideration to the safety of its products throughout their lifecycle, from the initial planning stage. Specifically, we design our products in line with the "Safety Design Principle" that we have formulated based on relevant international standards, and then confirm their safety through measures such as design reviews and inspections carried out during the production process. We also obtain safety certification from third-party certification bodies as necessary. Furthermore, our Product Safety Test Room ensures that only safe products reach our customers. This testing group has passed the stringent certification criteria based on international standards of TUV SUD Product Service GmbH, Germany, a certification body for testing laboratories in Europe.
In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012, we published 21 test reports gathering the results of the various tests that were conducted.
Information Disclosure in Case of a Safety-Related Problem
If a problem with product safety or quality arises, information is disclosed to customers as soon as possible and countermeasures are taken immediately after thorough investigations into the matter.