Kobe Steel plant industrial quality badge nullified

World
Europe

A Kobe Steel plant, which is at the center of a data falsification scandal that has roiled supply chains around the world, has been stripped of all its industrial quality certifications, Japan’s government said on Wednesday.

The government-sanctioned seal on insulated copper tubing from Kobe’s Hatano plant was revoked after an investigation by a certification firm into its quality controls, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a statement.

The plant, located southwest of Tokyo, has also lost its ISO 9001 quality certificate from the International Standards Organization, Japan Quality Assurance Organization said.

Earlier, the plant’s Japan Industrial Standards (JIS) seal for its seamless copper pipe products was removed, as part of the fallout of one of Japan’s biggest industrial scandals.

Reuters Photo.

Japan’s third-largest steelmaker, which supplies producers of cars, planes, trains and other products across the world, said last month that about 500 of its customers had received products with falsified specifications.

The company is planning to make a statement on the standards revocation at 0730 GMT, said a Kobe Steel spokesperson.

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 can buy them.

Japanese manufacturing prowess has taken a hit in recent weeks due to the Kobe Steel scandal and news of improper final domestic inspection procedures at Nissan Motor.

Source(s): Reuters