Quality improvements

The Quest for Quality

Quality that Builds Trust, Safety and Security

The Fujitsu Group attaches fundamental importance to product quality in all corporate activities so that everyone can enjoy the benefits of ICT in security. Again, the priority is not on satisfying ourselves but on making products that satisfy our customers by providing the quality they expect.

To provide these high-quality products and services, Fujitsu has constructed and operates a quality management system (QMS). In operating this system, Fujitsu periodically verifies the progress of the PDCA (plan, do, check, act) cycle in the light of ISO and other international certification standards.

To further increase our customers' trust in the Fujitsu Group, we implement quality management using QMS in process improvement.

The Pursuit of Quality and Safety

Fujitsu responds by anticipating changes at our customers and their business environments so as to continue providing them appropriate products and services. At every stage from design through evaluation, production, to sales and support, we perform our quality improvement activities in line with the following principles.

Quality Principles

• We pursue quality from the customer's perspective.
• We build in quality that anticipates changes.
• We achieve quality consistent with our social responsibilities.
• We use first-hand feedback based on the actual situation.
• We work with our business partners to improve quality.
• We seek to make public quality-related information transparently.
• We foster employees who think about quality.

Based on the policy of emphasizing safety in all aspects of our business activities, we strive for assured safety in product designs, collection and the publication of information on product-related problems, and rapid response to such problems.

Acquisition of ISO9000 certification

Based on our belief that better processes create better products and services, we are continuously improving our processes to meet the needs of the market and our customers. This ongoing effort has led to the certification of all our business locations under ISO9001.

Safety assurance

Fujitsu group is committed to technology excellence and strive to be second to none in terms of quality. In fact, Fujitsu group considers our brand to be synonymous with quality. Providing customers with the high-quality products that can be used safely and with confidence, lies at the heart of manufacturing of Fujitsu group.

Based on this philosophy, Fujitsu established the "Fujitsu Product Safety Charter" in June 1994, ahead of the implementation of the Japan Product Liability Law on July 1, 1995.

Since then, incorporating the principles of the Charter, we have also put into place various regulations and technical standards on the product safety, which are then disseminated at new employee and group training courses and quality conferences.

In our efforts to establish and to ensure a culture of safety, we actively continue to work on the followings:

• Compliance with laws relating to product safety, including product accident reports
• Creation and compliance with independent safety standards and establishment of an appropriate quality assurance system
• Collection of product accident information etc.
• Correspondence to product accident etc.

Our Approach to Promoting Quality Assurance

Fujitsu has established a group dedicated to quality improvement within each division and each Group company so that we can provide high-quality products and services to our customers. Also, through the Quality Assurance Unit, which consists of representatives of these dedicated groups, we work to develop countermeasures through information sharing and by improving support structures, which transcend the organizational framework. In this way, we work to establish a QMS that creates added value for the customer.

Promotional Activities

Qfinity Activities

Since 2001, Fujitsu has implemented Qfinity* activities, which are independent quality improvement activities, in all divisions. The Qfinity concept emphasizes a quality improvement model using the PDCA cycle that exhaustively pursues not only better product functions and reliability but also quality improvements in all phases of work, including efforts to improve customer response and delivery and reduce costs.

In each division, we are moving forward with efforts on themes that reflect the division's major policies and the issues that arise in the workplace on a daily basis. Project activities include both group activities concerned with a specific theme and individual activities to propose reform and improvement based on their findings. In principle, all Fujitsu employees participate in at least one of these activities.

• FY 2010: Approx. 5,700 project initiatives
• FY 2010: Approx. 94,000 improvements/proposals

Using the web-based Qfinity information system on our intranet, all Qfinity information can be shared interdepartmentally, enabling us to do the benchmarking of the other divisions' objectives and processes, and to acquire information and knowledge such as technologies, know-how and other expertise.

* The word Qfinity was created by combining "Quality" and "Infinity" to express the concept of our commitment to the infinite pursuit of quality.

To make the successes of Fujitsu Qfinity activities widely known within the Group, we provide information to each Group company through the Qfinity website on our intranet and also hold a Group-wide Qfinity conference every year at which exemplary cases of Qfinity activities and awards are presented. Every year, these Qfinity activities are collected into a handbook and distributed throughout the Group.

Customer-Centric Quality Assurance Activities for Products and Services

In providing products and services, we adopt the customer-centric perspective. A customer-centric approach means understanding the issues from the customer's point of view. This attitude is central not only at the design review stage but also at every stage of each process, where we ask "does it meet customer needs and expectations?" as we perform the evaluations and audits.

Through this approach, items that do not meet customer expectations are withdrawn and not allowed to proceed to later processes.

Fostering Experts Who Support Product Safety

In supporting product safety, since 2003 we have fostered Product Safety Experts who are approved under the Company's own system of approvals to check product safety. When they are unable to confirm safety, the affected product cannot be given final approval for shipment. These experts must be qualified in safety standards including Japanese, international and Fujitsu's own standards and must also check designs to ensure that previous product faults have been prevented from recurring.

The concept of preventing product accidents before they can occur is becoming more important than ever. This calls not only for familiarity with the accidents or hazards associated with the product and with others possessing similar functions and structures, but also for practical knowledge and assessment of any potential risks associated with the product itself and the way it is used, viewed from the perspective of the user.

This is why, in FY 2010, we established Company internal standards for implementing product safety risk assessments and trained risk assessors. We have now started using these for PCs. From now on, risk assessors will be used for a widening range of products as we seek to further increase product safety.

Satisfaction and Quality Surveys by Third-Party Organizations

The products and services provided through Qfinity and other activities are only delivered and provided when they reach the level expected by our customers.

We also implement customer-satisfaction and quality surveys by third-party organizations for these products and services, and have received particularly good results for customer satisfaction with reliability (in FY 2010 surveys covered some 1,000 companies). As a result, when this information is circulated to all parts of the Company, it can be reflected in developing the next products and services. Moving forward, we will continue to work to improve quality through the twin pillars of Qfinity activities and various surveys.