2018_2025_step_e

10/22 Quality Enhancement Initiatives－Enhance corporate quality－

The next topic is quality enhancement initiatives. I have made quality the centerpiece of this mid-term management vision. In addition to the final inspection problem and Takata airbag problem, other market quality issues have arisen, and I am keenly aware that fundamentally improving quality, which will become the foundation of customer trust, is an urgent priority. I believe that in all business activities SUBARU must transform itself into a company in which quality is the highest priority, from senior management right down to the workplace level. Also, since we consider quality something customers expect of SUBARU, I believe that we must reliably ensure quality as a SUBARU value proposition that we can confidently provide to our customers. This slide shows concrete activities to accomplish this. One activity is to review all processes for value creation, from product planning to production. Another is to step up the level of the manufacturing plants in Japan and the U.S. We will also strengthen the CQO’s authority as a means of reinforcing quality management systems, and review the nature of our quality assurance systems. Furthermore, production volume is showing considerable growth, and the number of new customers is increasing substantially. We will improve service quality to cope with this rapid growth in the number of customers. We intend to steadily and surely engage in these activities. Also, we have set an investment guideline of 150 billion yen over five years, including investments in facilities and human resources, to achieve these fundamental quality reforms.