JSR Group is committed to building a quality management system and continuously improving quality with the aim of providing customers with products of reliable quality and services that they can use with peace of mind.

JSR Group’s Management Policies state “Always strive to increase customer satisfaction” as its policy on quality. We believe that an important role of JSR is to supply innovative materials and excellent products that meet customer needs and contribute to a better society. Going forward, we will strengthen our global quality assurance structure from the standpoints of expanding business globally and into broader fields, diversifying the supply chain as a result, and addressing more sophisticated customer needs.

JSR Group’s activity policy and activity plan on quality are deliberated on and formulated by the Environment, Safety and Quality Committee, chaired by the officer responsible of Safety, Quality and Environmental Affairs. The committee also oversees related activities and their results. For details about the Environment, Safety and Quality Committee, please see below.

• For details about responsible care at JSR, see “2. RC Advancement Structure.”

JSR Group supplies customers with chemicals and other diverse products and services. To continuously deliver reliable quality in all of our products and services, we give full attention to quality management each day. We also strive to further improve quality under a management framework that is based on manufacturing and quality management standards (ISO 9001^*1).

We have acquired ISO 9001 certification at all of our main plants and business sites (including relevant divisions and indirectly involved departments). Each certified business site undergoes management reviews by the plant manager or senior management. During these reviews, efforts are made to address any quality complaints from customers as well as identify the root cause of minor quality issues and implement countermeasures. In this manner, the PDCA cycle is used to prevent quality complaints and issues. Additionally, countermeasures are rolled out to other departments as well.

• Reporting of quality complaints and issues
• Preventive measures for quality complaints and issues
• Quality improvement activities

*1 ISO 9001: An international standard for quality management systems that was issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

• ESG Data（PDF：344KB）

JSR shares its basic approach to quality management in terms of design and development, purchasing, production and sales with the entire Group and strives to ensure consistency in the application of this approach by all employees. Toward this end, we established and enforce the Quality Guidelines, which serve as a guideline for quality control at the JSR Group.

• Design review for commercialization
• Design review for planning ^*2
• Manufacturing and process management
• Response to quality defects

*2 Design review: A system for related parties to verify whether a mass produced product satisfies the customer’s requirements or not.

JSR Group examines how to satisfy customers’ quality requirements using quality control methods matched to product characteristics in each of departments of R&D, manufacture, and quality assurance. This process helps to verify the level of quality at the time of mass production.

• Quality control at the time of product manufacturing using QFD (Quality Function Deployment^*3)
• Identification of risks in advance at the time of starting new product manufacturing or process changes using FMEA (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis^*4)

*3 Quality Function Deployment (QFD):
A design approach aimed at making quality assurance possible by bring the design quality of a supplied product to the manufacturing process.

*4 Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA):
A Method for assigning priority to countermeasures after estimating risks in case an abnormality were to occur in design, process development and/or manufacturing.

JSR Group incorporates the “Six Sigma methods”^*5 that reduces product defect rates based on statistical data analyses, to its traditional quality control methods. This approach has yielded substantial results in quality improvement. Moreover, use of the Six Sigma methods also transforms employees’ approaches into data-driven thinking^*6.

*5 The Six Sigma methods:
A quality improvement method that was developed by Motorola of the United States in the 1980s. It seeks to suppress quality deficiencies and improve quality by controlling variability with focus on the processes by which variability occurs.

*6 Data-driven thinking: an approach to thinking and taking action based on data

As part of the manufacturing industry, JSR Group must supply products that satisfy customer requirements in terms of quality, cost and supply, among other factors. We conduct quality audits and hold the Quality Activities Forum to constantly improve customer satisfaction.

Quality audits check quality control activities within the quality management system and quality control mechanisms using the PDCA cycle^*7. The Quality Activities Forum involves an annual review of quality performance led by top management.

• Report on results of customer satisfaction survey
• Presentations and commendations on quality improvement activities

*7 PDCA cycle: a method of improving business operations by repeating the four steps of Plan, Do, Check and Act.

JSR Group is also working to enhance employee training. In FY2007, we opened a training center at our Yokkaichi Plant as part of this effort. We are expanding our training programs and providing training on quality control and PLP for specific employee classes (i.e., employees with the company between 1 and 3 years, employees with the company between 6 and 10 years, and employees who will be/have been promoted to the rank of manager). Through these training programs, we are working to increase the level of quality companywide and transform the way employees think about quality.

• Quality control training
• PLP training
• Six Sigma training

With “emphasis on improving customer satisfaction” and achieving a “continuous increase in customer satisfaction,” we will continue optimizing our quality management system and improving the quality of our products and services to stay in step with business transformations taking throughout JSR Group. By doing so, we will stay true to our aims of supplying innovative materials and excellent products that meet customer needs and contributing to a better society.