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Product Safety and Quality

Basic Policy

Basic Policy

Promoting quality in products and services based on the basic quality policy

The OMRON Group Sustainable Conduct Policies specify environmental and social issues that the Group should address, along with policies of measures to address the issues.

OMRON Group Sustainable Conduct Policies

Delivery of Secure and Safe Products and Services and Protection of Customers

Omron Group defines “Quality First” as its fundamental principle. It shall create quality products and services in any circumstance. For this purpose, the Group shall prioritize security and safety of its products and services and continue to deliver value that exceeds customer expectations to fulfill its social responsibility. The Group commits to fulfill the above responsibilities to its customers and execute them faithfully. Employees of the Group shall engage in quality assurance activities with pride and confidence and contribute to achieving fair and transparent business operations.

Also, all of the Group companies, departments, and members are committed to understanding and complying with the OMRON Group Rules for Ethical Conduct, to enhance social trust and corporate value of the Group and realize seamless management and business activities.

OMRON Group Rules for Ethical Conduct

Safe Products and Services
  • Delivery of Secure and Safe Products and Services
    We will execute the fundamental policy of “Quality First” in our products and services by prioritizing security and safety over other business functions such as planning, R&D, production, sales, maintenance, and disposal.
  • Making Safety Information Available
    To ensure user safety, we will provide to our customers plain and clear instructions and warnings. We will also make available safety training and guidelines to encourage proper use of our products and services.
  • Prompt and Proper Action in the Event of Accidents
    If there are accidents caused by our products or services, we will take prompt action to limit damage. We will investigate and identify facts, make appropriate disclosure, identify the causes of the accidents, and take action to the extent practicable to correct any problems and prevent the recurrence of the problem.
  • Complying with Laws, regulations, and Standards
    We will comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and standards relating to the quality and safety of products and services in the countries or regions in which they are sold and used.
Protection of Customers
  • Provision of Appropriate Information
    To assist customers and consumers with decisions regarding the purchase, use and disposal of our products and services, we will examine all methods of providing information, such as specification sheets, instruction manuals, leaflets and website pages, and carefully consider and implement appropriate methods of notification.
  • Protection of Customer Information
    To fulfill our responsibilities to all stakeholders, we will appropriately manage personal information, company information and information supplied from business associates. Appropriate management of information requires identifying and marking information to be protected, management of third parties to which information is disclosed, and reasonable systems and procedures to prevent illegal or inappropriate leakage of confidential or private information, misuse of such information, use of mistaken information such as data input errors, and loss or corruption of such information as well as system failures.
  • Good Faith Response to Inquiries and Service Requests
    We will respond in good faith to requests and inquiries from customers and consumers. We will also forward feedback and input from customers and consumers to relevant internal personnel, so as to incorporate useful customer input into subsequent business activities.

OMRON Group Sustainable Conduct Policies and OMRON Group Rules for Ethical Conduct

Quality Assurance System

Establishment of a quality management system and strict implementation of the PDCA cycle

The OMRON Group has established a quality management system that requires meeting the OMRON Group's own provisions in addition to the requirements of the international standard ISO 9001.

Across the OMRON Group, each organization has been strictly implementing a PDCA cycle. In this cycle, an improvement plan is formulated, the plan is implemented, and the degree of achievement is evaluated. This evaluation leads to the next improvement, and the cycle is repeated. Strict implementation of a PDCA cycle helps ensure the safety and quality of products, enabling continuous improvement of quality and prevention of quality-related problems. Concurrently, The Group has been conducting auditing to measure the efficacy of quality management systems.

As for substances that may adversely impact the environment or society, the Group has constructed a chemical substances management system in order to quickly respond to customer inquiries and provide necessary information.

The Global Procurement, Quality and Logistics Management HQ, a corporate headquarters division, has a well-established structure to support quality enhancement on a global scale, through quality approval for purchased parts and advancement of failure analysis technologies. As for purchased parts, for example, a system of evaluating and certifying suppliers' process quality is implemented to ensure the highest possible product quality throughout the world.

Also, the OMRON Group will continue its efforts to prevent silent changes* by increasing and improving the number of processed items to purchase integratedly.

  • * Silent change refers to changes in material composition or alteration of specifications for parts that suppliers make, without notification to clients.

Clarifying a system to maintain product safety in order to supply highly safe products

OMRON Group companies clearly determine safety management systems to be implemented at each stage of its business process, from product planning and development through production, and all the way up to sales, after-sales service, and disposal. By so doing, the OMRON Group strives to ensure the supply of highly safe products.

ISO 9001-certified sites

Quality Assurance Activities

Conducting quality audits to maintain effective quality assurance activities

At the OMRON Group companies, quality audits are performed on a regular basis. The objective is to continuously improve the compatibility and effectiveness of quality management processes and upgrade their level by implementing their PDCA cycle. The Global Procurement, Quality and Logistics Management HQ is committed to resolving issues faced by each Group company through the implementation of quality management systems.

Objective evaluation for assurance of safety

To ensure product safety, the Group companies verify and review designs and check the appropriateness and validity of the designs while developing new products. By taking these steps, the nature and completeness of risk prevention measures related to the products being developed are objectively evaluated.

Continuous quality education based on the concept of "all employees assume an important role in quality"

The OMRON Group believes that quality must be supported by all Group members, whether they belong to sales, planning, R&D, procurement, manufacturing, or quality assurance. This applies even to directors and officers.

Based on this belief, the OMRON Group continuously offers quality education targeting various ranks, from new employees to managerial-level employees, in order to nurture quality leaders.

In China, Quality Control (QC) education equivalent to Level 2 and Level 3 of Japan's Quality Management and Quality Control Examination* is offered.

  • *Quality Management and Quality Control Examination: An examination to assess the level of knowledge regarding quality management (QM) and quality control (QC), and certify those who meet QM/QC standards required for those who work in any organization.

OMRON Group Quality Training Programs

  • Product safety/environment-related training 
    (Training for product safety engineer nurturing, product safety and product assessment, etc.)
  • Quality management/technology-related training
    (Reliability engineering, FMEA/FTA, quality engineering, DRBFM training, etc.)
  • Quality fundamentals training
    (QC 7-tools, new 7-tools, why-analysis, issue-solving training, etc.)
  • Quality training for new employees
  • Quality management training and quality management test in China

Quality Risk Management

Establishment of a system for quick detection and response to serious complaints

The OMRON Group manages customer inquiries and complaints on defects in order to quickly detect serious quality problems that may affect customers' safety and prevent the recurrence of similar problems. To convey serious quality problems to top executives rapidly and correctly, the Group has established the OMRON Group Rules for Product Quality Risk Management.

Along with agile response to customer complaints, quick detection of serious complaints and preventing the recurrence of similar complaints are sought by the corporate headquarters division in charge of quality assurance. This is done in collaboration with the quality assurance departments of business companies and divisions. OMRON Group Rules for Integrated Risk Management are also available to appropriately and rapidly take necessary countermeasures in the event of serious accidents such as those that involve bodily injury, death, and fire.

The OMRON Groups has also formulated OMRON Group Guidelines for PLP*, which stipulate the implementation of four activities listed below. Based on these rules, OMRON seeks to prevent PL accidents involving defects of products manufactured and sold by OMRON that cause damage to customers' lives or possessions, while also ensuring the supply of highly safe products.

The four activities are:

  1. Activities for maintaining product safety
  2. Actions to take in the event of PL accidents, and measures to prevent the spread of damage and recurrence of similar accidents
  3. Activities necessary to avoid PL risk
  4. Education and information release related to PLP, and inspection of PLP activity status
  • * PLP (Product Liability Prevention)
    PLP stands for Product Liability Prevention, and refers to the implementation of countermeasures to prevent PL accidents, i.e., product defects that impede the use of the product or put the health/life of a person or property at risk.

Product Safety Assessment Implementation Rate

Indicator Target Results
FY2018 FY2019 FY2020 FY2021
Serious PL accidents *1 None None None None None
Serious violations of laws/ regulations *2 None None None None None
  • *1Number of accidents that seriously harmed the lives or health of customers (death, serious illness or injuries, residual disabilities, monoxide poisoning)
  • *2Number of serious violations of laws or regulations relating to product safety that require external reporting Indicator Target Results
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