Pursuit of Quality and Product Safety

The Quality Committee meets at least twice a year. It reviews progress in management indicators such as quality costs on a semiannual basis and deliberates on serious matters related to quality and product safety that require management decisions.

For serious cases, we bring together in-house expertise to examine reliability, safety, and other aspects from multiple perspectives. We then provide recommendations and guidance for corrective action and support the implementation of measures to prevent recurrence and drive improvement.

The meeting monitors product-specific market defects, manufacturing yield, and the status of company-wide improvement activities, and discusses any actions required.

The QuiC Steering Meeting reviews and deliberates on matters necessary to promote improvement activities (QuiC activities).

The NGK Group defines quality of operations as the quality of work needed to fulfill promises made to customers. Based on its company-wide quality compliance program, the Group has continued to establish rules and regulations, provide training, conduct audits and monitoring, and carry out preventive activities. Through executive lectures and the distribution of educational videos, NGK has worked to raise awareness of quality compliance as a personal responsibility at every level, from directors and management to frontline workers. Building on these efforts, NGK is now creating a framework that enables each department to improve quality of operations with greater independence.

To reduce quality risks in the market, NGK has formulated company-wide Quality Activity Rules and is working to embed them in operations and improve their effectiveness.

NGK promotes QRE-P Activities company-wide as an operational process to eliminate quality risks before they arise across the entire commercialization process, from product and service planning to mass production.
QRE-P Activities focus on how work is carried out, as this can lead to market defects. By analyzing these issues with each division and making improvements, NGK works to improve quality and prevent recurrence.

In fiscal 2025, NGK implemented the following initiatives to improve the effectiveness of QRE-P Activities.

In FY2026, building on these efforts, NGK will work to further embed and advance QRE-P Activities.

The NGK Group positions Design Review (DR) as one of its most important activities and conducts DRs at key milestones in development and when changes are made to manufacturing processes.
For critical DRs, reviewers from across the Company participate to strengthen efforts to eliminate quality risks.
To further enhance discussions in DRs and ensure the thorough elimination of quality risks, we have established the DR Guidelines and improve their effectiveness through training and post-review evaluations of each DR.
In addition, when issues are difficult to resolve within individual departments, the Company holds company-wide DRs (company-wide quality review meetings). These bring together engineers and experts from across the organization to conduct multi-faceted evaluations of product reliability and safety.

Flow of DR Activities

The NGK Group implements the following key initiatives to assess safety risks in products and services.

The NGK Group has established systems to respond promptly and appropriately when issues related to the quality or safety of its products and services arise.
In the event of a serious market complaint, or when there is a risk of such a complaint, we follow the “Rules for Handling Serious Market Complaints,” one of its quality activity rules. Under these rules, the issue is promptly reported to the Quality Committee Chair, and company-wide measures are considered.
For quality issues that may have a significant impact on the Company, a response framework is established in accordance with the crisis management regulations.
When a problem occurs, we investigate the root cause in parallel with emergency response measures and works to prevent recurrence by improving product design and manufacturing processes.
The crisis management regulations are reviewed annually and revised as necessary to ensure that optimal quality and safety management systems are maintained.

The NGK Group has promoted company-wide quality improvement activities involving all employees under the name “QuiC Activities” since fiscal 2003.
Outstanding improvement examples from QC circle activities and suggestion programs are shared across all Group companies and are horizontally deployed at the annual Company-wide QuiC Activities Contest.
In addition, we have been continuously promoting the “NGK-BOX / Surprising Challenges!” initiative since FY2021. This initiative aims to enhance employee motivation and revitalize workplaces by sharing reform examples and best practices across the Company.
In FY2025, we held “NGK Days” for the first time, a combined event in which administrative and indirect divisions presented challenges in their operations and delivered interactive, participatory content. Through employee interaction, the event encouraged new challenges and co-creation.

The NGK Group shares case studies obtained through its quality improvement activities with external stakeholders and leverages them to enhance future initiatives.
In FY2025, the Group presented case studies at three events: the Chubu Quality Control Conference QC Circle Case Study Presentation Meeting, organized by the Chubu Quality Control Association; the International Conference on Quality (ICQ 2025), organized by the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers; and the Foreman Conference, organized by the Japan Management Association.

The NGK Group provides training programs for all employees to enhance their quality skills.
Basic quality knowledge is delivered through video-based learning, enabling employees to learn anytime, anywhere, and repeatedly.
In addition, we offer both online and in-person training programs on practical topics such as statistical quality control, root cause analysis (the “Five Whys”), and product safety.

The NGK Group has established a dedicated learning theater at “NGK Collaboration Square DIVERS,” which opened in July 2025. This facility enables each employee to learn from past failures, internalize them as personal experiences, and translate the lessons into future actions.
At the theater, employees confront past serious incidents, including inspection irregularities related to insulators, and learn key lessons that all employees should understand through highly immersive video content. Employees also share their reflections by leaving messages, helping to pass on these lessons across the organization.

The NGK Group discloses information required by society accurately and promptly based on the NGK Group Corporate Business Principles and Code of Conduct.
Regarding product information, the Group provides clear explanations on product features and handling precautions on its website and offers safety information tailored to individual customer cases. The Group also continuously strengthens its systems for providing product safety information.
In product development, the NGK Group confirms and complies with regulations in the countries and regions where products are shipped, and thoroughly implements safe design in accordance with those requirements.
For customers, the Quality Assurance function takes a central role in responding to requests for chemical substance surveys and provides related information, including Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS).
Furthermore, based on the NGK Group Environmental Policy and the NGK Group Supplier Code of Conduct, the Group works with its business partners to ensure product and service safety, prioritize procurement of environmentally friendly materials, components, and equipment, and appropriately manage chemical substances contained in products.