Kobe Steel plant loses certifications

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Nov 16, 2017 06:00 am

TOKYO The Kobe Steel plant at the centre of a data falsification scandal that has shaken supply chains around the world has been stripped of all its industrial quality certifications, the Japanese government said yesterday.

The government seal on insulated copper tubing from Kobe's Hatano plant, one of its main copper plants, was revoked after an investigation by a certification firm into its quality controls, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said.

The plant, south-west of Tokyo, has also lost its ISO 9001 quality certification from the International Standards Organisation (ISO), Japan Quality Assurance Organisation said.

Earlier, the plant was stripped of its Japan Industrial Standards (JIS) seal for seamless copper pipe products used for air conditioning and refrigerators, as part of the fallout of one of Japan's biggest industrial scandals.

Having the quality seals revoked means the company can no longer sell the products with the JIS label, potentially restricting the number of customers that want to buy them and reducing its sales.

"We aim to regain the JIS certification and recover trust from our customers as soon as possible by implementing measures to prevent future misconduct," Kobe Steel said in a statement. - REUTERS