Quality Assurance

Social Issue

In recent years, there has been growing public concern over product quality and safety. Casio remains keenly aware that it must do its very best for customers. Casio believes it can offer trust and peace of mind to customers by providing high-quality, exceptionally safe products.

Importance for the Casio Group

Policy

Quality Concept

Casio maintains a strong quality assurance system, based on its belief in "Quality First." This system requires all employees to make quality their first concern in every task they perform, enabling the company to offer products and services that please and impress customers. The company's commitment to quality supports its corporate growth and makes social contributions possible, while at the same time winning customers' trust and giving them peace of mind

Quality Management Policies

• To build a good corporate image, we offer products and services that please and impress our customers, gain their strong trust, and ensure their peace of mind.
• We respond to our customers' requests and inquiries with sincerity and speed, and reflect their valuable comments in our products and services.
• In all our business processes, we base our actions on the Principle of the Five "Gens"—in Japanese, genba (on site), genbutsu (actual goods), genjitsu (reality), genri (theory) and gensoku (rule)—and adhere to the basics of business operations.
• We capture and analyze quality assurance activities quantitatively, using reliable data, and use the analysis to make continuous improvements. We also maintain a quality information system that enables the sharing of quality information and prevention of problems before they occur, and prevents recurrence of quality problems.

System

In order to carefully maintain and improve Casio Quality, the company has created the quality assurance system shown in the diagram below. The Promotion Committee for Group-wide Quality Enhancement meets twice a year. It pursues activities such as making quality data accessible and easy to understand, and sharing quality information, while passing resolutions on quality policy and measures. The results are used for quality assurance activities in each division.

Quality assurance system

As the division in charge of group-wide quality management, the CS Headquarters is working hard to improve quality with the cooperation of the Production Headquarters and the Development Headquarters, while always pursuing the best solutions for customers.

The Casio Group shares the awareness that quality is the foundation of all operations, and the Promotion Committee for Group-Wide Quality Enhancement shares information on product quality, safety, and regulations in each country in order to raise the level of awareness across the entire group. An ISO 9001 quality management system is employed at all manufacturing sites using the PDCA cycle, and “quality-first proposals” are made, incorporating improvements to processes and quality. All of this is part of Casio’s tireless effort to maximize quality. 

List of ISO 9001 Certified Sites

Activity Results

(1) Utilizing Tools from the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE) to Conduct Risk Assessments for Products, with Packaged Data Linked to Each Item (Flammability Test)
In order to maintain product safety, Casio carries out design and inspection based on Product Safety Design Standards and Product Safety Manufacturing Standards. Casio utilizes NITE’s product risk assessment support tools (data) for these standards to incorporate this assessment into its product design process. After confirming that there are no problems from a design perspective, we evaluate safety in the event of an emergency by conducting product combustion tests and lithium-ion battery overcharge and nail piercing tests. In this way, Casio strives to improve the effectiveness of product risk assessment by implementing a package that connects NITE’s data to the actual items used in each test.

(2) Initiatives to Prevent “Silent Changes”*1
Casio is working to expand its internal analysis activities in order to maintain product quality, ensure safety, and prepare for potential risks. As part of its efforts to prevent “silent changes,” Casio identifies which products require priority safety controls and regularly samples mass-produced products. Casio then implements morphological observations, chemical analysis, component analysis using physical property evaluation, and safety confirmation tests. At the same time, Casio collects data that helps it to provide guidance and supervision to its suppliers, while providing feedback to suppliers and related departments throughout the company to help prevent the occurrence or recurrence of product accidents.

*1. When specifications or components are changed for reasons such as cost reduction and delivered to the customer without obtaining their approval.

Offering Users Peace of Mind

Casio believes that safety is the most important aspect of its products, as it ensures the protection of customers’ property and person. As shown in the diagram below, Casio performs safety audits* at every stage, starting with product planning, and refers to the Product Safety Design Standards to ensure safety in the manufacturing process.

Accompanying the regular revision of the Product Safety Design Standards, we regularly revise the Product Safe Manufacturing Standards as well to guarantee safety.

* Safety audits: Design audits conducted based on the Product Safety Design Standards

Products that contain new technology components undergo a review based on the Safety Design Standards from the customer perspective. Usual rank products are checked for safe design by their respective business division, thereby ensuring that all products undergo a safe design review.

Product safety system

To comply with Japan’s Consumer Product Safety Act, which went into force on May 14, 2007, the Casio board of directors has adopted the Fundamental Policies on Product Safety. Based on these policies, Casio has put in place the Product Safety Voluntary Action Plan which specifies the details of the steps to be taken.

Casio takes all possible measures to prevent product quality problems and product-related accidents. However, in the unlikely event of a product-related accident or a quality problem, the company has clarified procedures for managing them and has established systems capable of responding appropriately as well as a response flow based on the in-house accident operating procedures. As shown in the diagram below, these include the prompt in-house communication of information, the issuance of notifications and reports to customers and relevant administrative agencies, and efforts to identify causes, corrective actions, and measures to prevent any future recurrence.

Response flow when a product accident or quality problem occurs

Education and Awareness Activities
It is very important that all employees have a strong awareness of quality so that Casio quality can be maintained. To this end, the first quality education program is given to all new employees. At the Group-wide Quality Enhancement Committee, Quality Managers’ Meeting, Market QC Meeting, and Manufacturing QC Meeting, the relevant departments share information and work on education and awareness raising activities from the standpoint of preventing recurrence of issues and taking preventive measures.

Providing Information on Safe Use of Products

Providing Product Information
Casio provides the appropriate information to customers to enable them to use the company’s product and services safely.
(1) Information is provided in the Precautions for Product Use section of user manuals.
(2) Information is provided in the Important Notifications on Product Safety section of the corporate website.

Providing Information on Laws and Regulations
Casio appropriately displays a mark that indicates the results of compliance with laws and regulations in the country where a product is sold. There were no violations of laws and regulations, voluntary regulations, etc., related to laws and regulations in each country in fiscal 2023 (April 2022 – March 2023).