Quality

*¹  As we achieved the target for fiscal 2025 ahead of schedule, we raised the target from the initially planned 94.8%.

Since obtaining ISO 9001* certification at the Hachioji and Tsuchiura plants in 1994, we have established the Tokyo Seimitsu Quality Management System (QMS) and have been promoting quality improvement activities through the PDCA cycle based on quality policy and quality targets. In fiscal 2024, a certification body conducted certification inspections for surveillance audits, including on the Hanno Plant that was completed in July 2023. These inspections have confirmed compliance with the requirements set forth in ISO 9001:2015, including adaptation to climate change (Amendment: February 2024), and management effectiveness. Furthermore, the charge/discharge testing system business to which some business operations have been transferred from Accretech Powertro System Co., Ltd. since October 2023, maintains its certification status since a special inspection was conducted for the business by the same certification body. Going forward, we will seek to have all of our facilities and business operations certified, including the charge/discharge testing system business.

The Quality Management Committee consists of 10 members: One Quality Officer, three officers in charge of business, three quality control managers, and three Sustainability Department members. The Quality Management Committee meets twice a year to review the performance, effectiveness, and appropriateness of the Quality Management System. The Quality Officer reports to the Board of Directors and receives instructions and supervision. In fiscal 2024, there were no quality management issues that required corrective actions to be taken.

The internal audit team conducts Internal Quality Audits twice a year at the Company. Certified auditors conduct audits in accordance with the quality manual* under the direction of the Quality Control Managers of the Semiconductor Company and Metrology Company, who report the audit results and the effectiveness of the Quality Management System to the Quality Management Committee. During the Internal Quality Audits performed in fiscal 2024, the auditors did not indicate that corrective actions were needed to be taken.

The Tokyo Seimitsu Engineering Standards (TES), which are our internal regulations, stipulate quality-related rules, such as certification qualification rules, measuring instrument inspection and calibration standard, and instruction manual creation standard, in addition to production activity-related rules that apply to development, design, manufacturing, production control, quality control, service, and environmental management.

The TES are reviewed once a year and may be established, revised, or abolished as necessary. In each department of the plants, members of the Quality Subcommittee play a pivotal role in providing training to ensure that revised and abolished TES are known throughout the department. The General Affairs Dept. keeps and manages the records of this training.

Suppliers who supply many of the parts and components required for our products cooperate in the quality audits that we conduct using our ISO 9001-compliant checklists. In fiscal 2024, supplier quality audits were conducted at 20 companies (cumulative total of 239 companies). There were no follow-up audits conducted as there were no cases of non-compliance with our quality control standards and/or quality requirements.

* Only suppliers who have agreed to check the quality assurance system and implementation status of quality assurance activities

To incorporate customer feedback into the improvement and enhancement of our products and services, we conduct customer satisfaction surveys to ascertain customer satisfaction and strive to strengthen it. The percentage of satisfactory ratings in the fiscal 2024 survey was 94.8%, and we are analyzing the results of improvement measures and related factors, and implementing countermeasures needed for improvement.

The Quality Assurance Dept. of Semiconductor Company creates a “regulatory compliance map by product” in collaboration with the individual technical groups. This list is used to manage information about the laws and regulations applicable to each product and whether the products comply with those laws and regulations. We have a structure in place that allows us to share regulatory information on a company-wide basis and reflect such information quickly on the products we ship.