Social Responsibility
About
Quality Management
Enhancing Customer Satisfaction by Providing Valuable Products and Services
Quality Management Policy
Quality-First Policy to Enhance Customer Satisfaction
The Konica Minolta Group believes that the quality of our products and services determines the level of satisfaction our customers enjoy, and the strength of their confidence in us. In this understanding, we foster our quality-first policy within the framework of Group quality management.
By the mid-1990s, all Group companies had obtained ISO 9001 certification. Building on this achievement, we have developed an integrated quality assurance system that covers all Group and affiliated companies throughout the world. Furthermore, since Konica and Minolta integration in 2003, we have focused on managing the quality of our products and of our customer services, with the ultimate goal of enhancing our brand value.
Konica Minolta Quality Management Policy (excerpts)
The Konica Minolta Group seeks to merit the highest levels of customer satisfaction and confidence by supplying products and services of value in keeping with our quality-first policy.
To always improve the quality of our products and services, we remain committed to quality assurance activities that include quantitative analysis of reliable data. Specific goals are to:
- Achieve the industry's highest level of customer satisfaction Detect potential customer needs and launch products that meet those needs
- Build and operate global quality assurance systems
- Conduct quality management of products and services, throughout product lifecycles
- Ensure continual development of the quality assurance process
- Minimize quality risks
- Disclose product safety information
Quality Management Promotion System
Promoting Quality Management under Quality Committee Leadership
The Konica Minolta Group promotes Group-wide quality management under the leadership of the Quality Committee, which is ultimately responsible for all decisions relating to quality management. Under this system, we prepare mid-term plans with goals for respective terms, and evaluate achievement levels every quarter.
Process Improvement Activities to Further Improve Product Quality
Enhancing Quality Management Capabilities of Both Individual Employees and Organizations
To enhance the quality management capabilities of both individual employees and organizations, Konica Minolta Group companies worldwide are promoting Process Improvement Activities, which comprise various small-group activities, as well as QC circle and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) activities. Many circles are committed to these activities, their achievements having been commended by the President and CEO at the annual Quality Conference.
To improve our development technologies we are promoting "quality engineering" (Taguchi method), which has proven to be effective in significantly advancing development productivity.
Response to Quality Problems
Worldwide Use of the Critical Product Failure Information Database
In compliance with our primary policy of "customers first," if a quality problem occurs, the Konica Minolta Group takes prompt and appropriate measures, together with actions to prevent recurrence. Our Critical Product Failure Information Database, operated worldwide, informs us of any critical product failure in the world within 24 hours, enabling us to act promptly and minimize any impact on our customers.
Safe Products that Help Maintain a Comfortable Office Environment
Safety Evaluation at Various Development Stages, and Measures to Maintain a Comfortable Office Environment
To supply safe products to our customers, Konica Minolta evaluates its products from the perspective of product liability during various stages of product development. We are striving to develop products that meet our voluntary standards, which are even more rigorous than the safety criteria established by the national governments of the countries concerned. In addition, all our products comply with the RoHS Directive (Directive on the Restrictions on the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment), a directive that strictly restricts specified hazardous substances contained in products in Europe since July 2006.
We pay particular attention to maintaining comfortable office environments when we design and develop image information products for office use, such as multifunctional peripherals (MFPs) (printer/copier/fax machine/scanner) and printers. To minimize the impact of our products on the office environment, we have been striving to develop products that satisfy the strict criteria of the German Blue Angel Mark (BAM), criteria that rigorously restricts operation noise, vibration, and emission of volatile organic compounds (VOC), in addition to environmental impacts in the broader sense. As a result of such efforts, we obtained BAM certification for 35 models of our MFPs -- bizhub series -- during the period from 2004 (when VOC restriction was introduced to BAM criteria) to the end of December 2006. During the said period, Konica Minolta was able to acquire BAM certification for more models than any other manufacturer in the industry. Moreover, upon the establishment of the new category of Office Printing Devices in January 2007—a category that encompasses various types of printing equipment, including MFPs and printers—we began working to obtain BAM certification in that new category. As a result, we acquired certification for 15 models by the end of fiscal year 2006 (March 2007).
During fiscal year 2006, the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Germany certified two of our laboratories in Japan as institutions qualified for measuring chemical substance emission levels, the measurement of which is required for filing applications for Blue Angel mark certification. Because of the certification of our laboratories in Japan, we now can gain data necessary for obtaining BAM for our MFPs within the country, where the machines are designed and developed. This helps reduce both the cost and the time necessary for acquiring certification. Moreover, we can now feed back the measurement results, thus improving our products more quickly, which in turn helps us market safe products with greater speed and efficiency.
Reflecting Customers' Voices
In-House Systems to Reflect Customers' Voices in Our Products/Services
At Konica Minolta we firmly believe that the inquiries and comments we receive from our customers by telephone and e-mail are crucial for improving our products and services. We have established in-house systems to share such valuable information throughout the Group.
To enhance customer satisfaction, one of our business companies, Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as Business Technologies), which supplies image information products such as MFPs, refers to customer opinion when improving Konica Minolta products. Beyond new product development, the Company reflects customer opinion in improving products that are already on the market. Business Technologies sales companies in various parts of the world have established respective call centers to receive inquiries and requests from customers, as well as from sales representatives, customer service engineers and other staff members who have first-hand contact with customers. Upon receiving calls, call center staff provide timely and detailed support.
Information from call centers around the world are gathered through our worldwide unified integrated IT system for use by field operations and the Company's R&D and various other sections. This cutting-edge system enables us to share information on the trends and number of inquiries, as well as on customer demands for product/service quality, on a global basis. We also use the IT system to measure our service productivity indicators, such as the time until we provide a solution, so that we can improve the quality of our services. Moreover, we have developed an additional IT system to grasp the actual field situation more accurately and comprehensively. This advanced system gathers and analyzes information on the operational status of our marketed products using a remote diagnosis and control system, together with actual service activities in order to supply useful information to related sections. This system also helps identify potential problems before they occur, enabling us to take proactive measures at the earliest possible stage.
The information thus gathered from around the world is stored in our database, enabling information sharing among the development, production, quality assurance, marketing, and other related sections. The database is useful in both developing new products and improving the quality of products already on the market. Use of the database also improves the quality of user/service manuals and training materials.
To evaluate the various initiatives taken to improve service quality from the customer perspective, Business Technologies regularly conducts surveys on customer demands and satisfaction. We also contract with third parties to conduct customer satisfaction surveys. Further, members of our staff often visit customers and retailers to receive their opinions in person, so as to optimally understand customer demands and expectations.
Joint Evaluation of Prototypes by Development and Marketing Sections
Joint Efforts of Marketing and Development Sections to Meet User Demands
Whenever we develop strategic models and products, we bring together the marketing staff and customer service engineers of major sales companies from around the world, in order to hold joint evaluation meetings with development engineers. On such occasions, marketing staff and customer service engineers give their opinions regarding prototypes from customers’ viewpoints, thus informing their demands for high quality services. Through this collaboration system, we intend to reflect users’ opinions and demands, so as to enhance customer satisfaction in our products.
Remote Diagnosis and Control System
Superior Services Enabled by Our Remote Diagnosis and Control Systems to Maximize Customer Satisfaction
Our remote diagnosis and control systems support stable operations of multifunctional peripherals (MFPs) and other printing devices via telecommunication lines. Should our products suffer problems, the remote diagnosis and control system promptly informs this fact to the Konica Minolta Service Management System. Thanks to the remote diagnosis and control system, our customer service engineers can usually identify the types of problems even before their arrival at the office where our products are in use. This helps minimize machine downtime. The remote diagnosis and control system is also equipped with periodic monitoring and alarm functions that help prevent machine failures. Based on the information provided by the system, our engineers visit users’ offices to inspect machines in person. Moreover the system automatically counts the number of copies made each month. At Konica Minolta we are developing advanced systems to support the operation of marketed machines so as to ensure even greater customer satisfaction.
Technical Training of Customer Service Engineers
IT-Based Technical Training and Engineers' Licensing Systems
Business Technologies, in collaboration with its sales companies worldwide, has established an e-learning training system for its customer service engineers, so as to offer optimal services in response to constantly changing market/customer demands, as well as to the rapid advance of related technologies. The Company has also introduced a global qualification system called “OUTWARD” for its customer service engineers.
With the collaboration of specialists around the world, the Company is developing high-quality content both for its e-learning training materials and for its qualification tests. This content reflects present and future market trends, as well as the latest technological innovations.
Meanwhile, the global qualification system sets various ranks for customer service engineers in accordance with their technical levels. The senior management of Business Technologies uses this system for certifying and licensing customer service engineers, while sales companies use the system in determining their promotion.
Document Security Functions
Standard Multifunctional Peripherals (MFPs) Equipped with Document Security Functions
Today, we often hear news about incidents and accidents pertaining to illegal access of information, information leakage, and infection by viruses. Many such incidents or accidents have inflicted significant damage to the parties concerned. It is therefore of crucial importance to arm digital OA machines—which continue evolving as online information nodes—with devices to prevent loss and leakage of the document information handled by such machines. Konica Minolta’s MFPs are equipped with a broad range of security functions, including user recognition, section-based management, IP filtering (to prevent illegal printing from the network), and data erasing functions (for completely erasing document data stored in HDDs by overwriting after job completion or at the time of discarding the HDDs). To ensure that our customers can use our machines without concerns for security problems, basic security functions are installed even in standard models (with some functions, such as data coding, being optional).
Ahead of other manufacturers, Konica Minolta began developing products that meet the requirements of ISO15408, an international standard to guarantee the incorporation of security management functions. ISO 15408 certification has been awarded to all models of our copiers and MFPs launched since December 2002 (bizhub 7145 and all subsequent models).
Biometric Security Devices
Speedy Security Management with Finger Vein Biometric Recognition Technology
Our digital color MFP, "bizhub C550," launched in February 2007, is equipped with a biometric recognition device AU-101 (optional). Using finger vein biometric recognition technology, the device enables simple, speedy, and accurate security management. To operate the model, users need not carry ID cards or input passwords. All they need to do is to hold their finger over the device. Identifying individuals by their vein patterns, which are indeed difficult to duplicate, the device ensures a far greater security level than cards and passwords, both being susceptible to theft and misconduct. Accordingly, the device facilitates user control, limiting access to the machine to only a few authorized staff members. Users’ vein data is stored in the machine body. As soon as a user holds his or her fingers over the recognition device, the stored data is output to perform matching. Accordingly, with the minimal burden imposed on users, the device ensures extremely secure access management, free from concern of theft or illegal copying. Combining this recognition device with other means such as ID card and password control—both installed on standard models—will further enhance security levels.
