The DUNLOP Group bases all decision-making and actions on Our Philosophy, rooted in the Sumitomo Business Philosophy passed down for nearly 400 years. Based on this foundation, we have established Quality Policies that emphasize enhancing both economic and societal value while contributing to a sustainable society. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations and prioritize providing safe and attractive products, services, and solutions that meet customer needs. Our Group’s Purpose, “Through innovation we will create a future of joy and well-being for all,” reflects our commitment to customer-oriented quality.
1) Being reliable, worthy of trust, and guided by fundamental principles, we continue to respond to the trust of our customers and society by providing products and services that meet the changing needs of the times.
2) We create new value through stronger connections across Our Group, with all members seeking out challenges as pioneers.
3) We value one another and act in accordance with corporate ethics, fostering a quality culture that supports the growth of both our people and our organization.
In line with our philosophy of contributing to society by providing products and services that meet customer and market needs while ensuring full compliance, all employees of the DUNLOP Group shall understand and adhere to this Quality Policy and strive for the effective implementation of our Quality Management System.
Our Group has established Central QC Committee, chaired by President, as the highest authority for quality-related policies and decision-making. Policies decided by Central QC Committee are implemented globally through QC committees within each of our four business units: Tyre Business Headquarters, Sports Business Headquarters, Hybrid Rubber Products Headquarters, and Automotive System Division. We strive to provide high-quality products, services, and solutions, encompassing not only manufacturing but also development, administrative, and sales operations.
Furthermore, the effectiveness of these initiatives is evaluated by Central QC Committee and QC Committees. We also established an internal audit system (quality reviews) to assess risks and drive improvements.
Additionally, through obtaining and maintaining certifications for the Quality Management System ISO 9001 and the Automotive Industry Quality Management System Standard IATF 16949, we are committed to enhancing quality from the customer's perspective and pursuing continuous improvement.
※Standards: ISO 9001: 2015, IATF 16949: 2016
In response to evolving social issues, including the growing impact of climate change, we came to the conclusion that a new policy, one based on long-term perspectives that look to the world of 2050 and beyond, would be essential to our efforts to ensure the sustained growth and development of both Our Group and society as a whole. In August 2021, we formulated our Long-Term Sustainability Policy and are working toward our goals.
We believe that achieving our Long-Term Sustainability Policy will lead to the realization of the Purpose of Our Philosophy, “Through innovation we will create a future of joy and well-being for all.” To this end, we are strengthening our quality foundation throughout the value chain.
Furthermore, Our Group has formulated the long-term corporate strategy R.I.S.E. 2035 and articulated our vision for 2035 as “Continuing to Provide ‘New Experimental Value’ Born from Rubber to Everyone.” Leveraging our two strengths, “rubber and analytical technology” and “brand creation power” to address future social issues and risks, we will continue to deliver attractive new value to customers in various fields such as mobility, sports, healthcare, and daily life, and contribute to the development of a prosperous and sustainable society for the future.
From the perspective of quality reliability, our rubber and analysis technologies, which are one of our strengths, not only enable the development of advanced rubber but also help us avoid quality risks in new areas by elucidating mechanisms through visualization technologies, thereby enhancing the reliability of our value creation process.
In addition, we will strengthen the quality foundation that supports our business strategies for tires, SENSING CORE, sports, and industrial products, as well as our new lines of business.
This includes promoting preventive measures through the enhancement of quality management systems across the entire value chain, as well as fostering the development of personnel who can adapt to changes in each process.
We are fully committed to ensuring the safety of our products, services, and solutions, which is an essential responsibility we strongly uphold at Our Group. We conduct evaluations and verifications using the latest technology and a rigorous preliminary assessment. Before mass production, each quality assurance department strictly reviews the evaluation and verification results for all products, including tires, SENSING CORE, sports and industrial products, before giving approval to their mass production. Even after mass production begins, we maintain rigorous quality control to ensure the delivery of high-quality, safe products, services, and solutions to our customers.
In the unlikely event that defects or potential defects are discovered in the products, services, or solutions we provide to our customers, we immediately conduct a situation analysis, convene a safety measures meeting as necessary, and promptly implement the required measures. In addition, we have established a system for sharing market information across the entire Group to prevent recurrence and thoroughly implement risk countermeasures.
Based on our corporate philosophy of contributing to the sustainable development of society, we will continue to prioritize providing safe and attractive products, services, and solutions that meet customer needs in compliance with laws and regulations.
As part of our efforts to achieve the annual targets set out in our Long-Term Sustainability Policy, “Driving Our Future Initiatives” we are strengthening our quality management system by identifying quality risks across the entire value chain, implementing measures to address them and standardizing them. In addition, we are reviewing our quality assurance system and making further process improvements as necessary to respond to risks.
As shown in the separately reported results of our “Driving Our Future Initiatives” initiatives, we are progressing as planned.
In addition, to strengthen human resource development that supports the quality of each process, we are implementing company-wide quality training, with particular emphasis placed on training in change point management. Furthermore, we provide thorough quality training to new managers to promote the development of people who are adaptable to change in both management and practical aspects, enabling them to respond to changes inside and outside the company.
Our Group continuously monitors and improves the quality of raw materials and outsourced products through systematic quality audits, quality issue correction activities, and partnership building with raw material suppliers and contractors in the manufacture of products for the tyre, sports, hybrid (industrial products), and automotive systems businesses. By ensuring a reliable supply of raw materials and outsourced products that meet the Group’s quality requirements, we are working to maintain the stability of our manufacturing processes and product quality, and to provide our customers with sustainable products on a stable basis. In addition, given recent global events and a changing external environment, we have become increasingly concerned about maintaining raw material quality. Having conducted careful evaluations and assessments from the perspective of BCP, we are promoting diversification of the regions from which we source raw materials and externally procured products, selecting new suppliers, and developing sustainable raw materials. We are also making even more of an effort to improve the quality of raw materials and externally procured products, while improving our internal environment by enhancing quality monitoring through interdepartmental and inter-site cooperation.
Through these initiatives, we will contribute to the realization of sustainable societies by providing products that give our customers peace of mind, enhancing the mass production and quality stability of sustainable raw materials and outsourced products, and improving the reliability of our supply chain management.
To ensure the successful implementation of our Long-Term Sustainability Targets, “Driving Our Future Initiatives” and our long-term corporate strategy, “R.I.S.E. 2035,” which aims “Continuing to Provide ‘New Experimental Value’ Born from Rubber to Everyone,” it is essential to develop a quality management system and nurture human resources who can support quality in all processes. It is especially important to develop people who are adaptable to change while remaining faithful to the fundamentals during significant transformation.
Based on our corporate philosophy of contributing to developing a sustainable society, Our Group is creating people who can implement the policy of “Uniting our diverse strengths, growing together, driving and thriving on change with action and quality that always puts the customer first,” as stated in our Quality Policy.
As part of our efforts to develop human resources who can support the quality, we are promoting the cultivation of people who are faithful to the fundamentals and adaptable to change from both a management and a practical perspective. This includes implementing quality education for management (newly promoted employees and overseas assignees) that emphasizes the concepts of front-loading to establish reliable quality, as well as conducting company-wide quality education to raise quality awareness (quality-first thinking and culture transmission) among all employees, including new hires, through the thorough instillation of fundamentals.
Additionally, through annual quality improvement activities and education based on past issues, we are fostering a deeper understanding of the quality management system and developing human resources who can implement the system.
As Our Group's company-wide quality conference, we hold the “Quality Forum” annually during Quality Month in November. Department heads gather at our Kobe Headquarters, which serves as the broadcast hub, connecting online with all domestic and international sites and offices.
At the Quality Forum, we offer a hands-on opportunity to experience real-world examples that bring to life the Purpose of Our Philosophy— “Through innovation we will create a future of joy and well-being for all.” In addition, the forum provides a platform for sharing and appreciating practical examples in which trust from customers and society has been strengthened through the practice of the SRI WAY: “Being reliable and worthy of trust,” “Seeking out challenge,” and “Valuing one another.” Through these initiatives, we aim for every Group employee to demonstrate customer-oriented quality in their daily work and to firmly embed this mindset as a shared quality culture throughout the organization. Representative examples are as follows.
MIRAIE, a product of our Industrial Products Business (vibration control business), helps protect customers’ lives and property, as well as nationally designated important cultural assets, from large-scale earthquake disasters. This has been achieved by establishing highly reliable quality management across the entire value chain. Through these efforts, we are committed to safeguarding precious lives and assets and passing them on to future generations.
SRI Business Associates Co., Ltd. is a special subsidiary that promotes the employment of persons with disabilities. The company operates a department dedicated to disability employment (formerly SRI With Co., Ltd.) and has defined its purpose as: “We respect one another, walk forward together (‘with’), and share safety and joy with everyone we are connected to.” Starting from its vision of “joy in working,” the company has introduced a Quality Management System (QMS), placing emphasis on mutual respect, shared growth through work, and meaningful employment. Through close, hands-on guidance by managers and the promotion of standardized work practices, the company enhances both employees’ operational quality and opportunities for self-fulfillment. These initiatives enable the company to simultaneously improve customer satisfaction, expand opportunities for persons with disabilities to thrive, and contribute to society together with DUNLOP.
*QMS: Quality Management System
To foster a shared quality mindset globally, we use quality posters that visually express employees’ commitment to quality and their everyday mindset. These posters provide an opportunity for participants to reflect once again on the essence of quality. By aligning perspectives globally—something difficult to achieve through language alone—this initiative encourages employees to view quality as a personal responsibility. It also helps communicate quality concepts in an accessible way and promotes dialogue and awareness in the workplace.
In addition, QC presentation meetings and quality activity award programs are held at Group sites both in Japan and overseas.
Looking ahead, Our Group will continue to deliver safe, secure, and trusted products and services by maintaining a strong customer focus, reinforcing fundamentals, and embracing change.
