品質醜聞時代 (3)：日纖維廠東麗(Toray Industries)造假； Trouble at Japan Inc. as shine is further tarnished by more admissions of malpractice. Mitsubishi Materials unit falsified product data for years

日纖維廠東麗(Toray Industries)造假 社長鞠躬道歉

【陳怡妏╱綜合外電報導】「日本製造」神話再崩壞！日本纖維大廠「東麗」社長日覺昭廣昨舉行道歉記者會，因內部調查發現子公司生產的輪胎補強纜線強度造假，並出貨給13家輪胎廠，幸尚未傳出安全性問題，東麗承諾將加強子公司品管，避免再犯。

材料賣給輪胎廠

日覺昭廣鞠躬道歉說：「造成大家困擾真的很抱歉。」但東麗去年7月就發現造假，為何現在才出來道歉？日覺避重就輕解釋：「本月有人在網路上散布謠言，才會覺得應該出來說明真相，整理資料花了點時間。」
東麗集團內部調查發現，位於愛知縣的子公司「東麗混合纜線」（Toray Hybrid Cord），從2008年4月到去年7月共149次偽造數據，再以「特別採用」的名義將強度未達要求的材料出貨給輪胎廠，儘管日覺強調跟客戶的要求差沒多少，但輪胎安全攸關人命，消費者信心全失，昨股價重挫5.29%。
1926年創社的東麗，舊名東洋嫘縈，是日本最具代表性的化學纖維大廠，生產塑料、人造纖維和碳纖維等，去年集團營收逾2兆日圓（約5391億台幣），在台也有分公司，海內外員工逾4.5萬人。近期日產汽車、神戶製鋼所、三菱綜合材料等知名日企陸續爆出醜聞，網友感嘆「日本製造」似乎已日薄西山。 

BUSINESS / CORPORATE
Trouble at Japan Inc. as shine is further tarnished by more admissions of malpractice
BLOOMBERG, KYODO
NOV 24, 2017
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/11/24/business/corporate-business/trouble-japan-inc-shine-tarnished-admissions-malpractice/#.WhiaB0qWbIU

Japan’s reputation for manufacturing prowess took another hit this week after Mitsubishi Materials Corp. admitted it faked data on some products just weeks after a similar scandal engulfed Kobe Steel Ltd.

Buyers of Japanese industrial goods from Boeing Co. to Airbus SE were once again scrambling to confirm whether safety had been compromised, after Mitsubishi Materials said three of its units had faked data on products that may have been delivered to more than 250 customers.


Mitsubishi Cable Industries Ltd. falsified data on rubber seals, while Mitsubishi Shindoh Co. misreported the strength of brass strips for auto parts, according to a statement Thursday. The products may have been shipped to 229 Mitsubishi Cable clients and 29 customers of Mitsubishi Shindoh.

Rubber products made by Mitsubishi Cable that did not meet the specification requirements of the Self-Defense Forces were used in some of the engines of their aircraft and vessels, officials at a government agency responsible for development and procurement of defense equipment have said. At Mitsubishi Cable, specification data on its O-ring sealing products were altered to match the requirements specified by client companies.

A third unit, Mitsubishi Aluminum Co. Ltd., also supplied non-conforming products, although it has already confirmed with customers that they are safe, the company said, adding that its investigation has not so far uncovered any cases that raise the possibility of legal violations or safety issues.

The revelation is the latest in a series of scandals to dent the image of Japanese manufacturers, and closely resembles recent admissions by Kobe Steel that it falsified data on the strength and durability of its products. In the auto sector Nissan Motor Co. has said it conducted vehicle inspections that didn’t comply with regulations for almost four decades, while Subaru Corp. allowed uncertified workers to make final safety inspections on vehicles before they were shipped.

And in one of the best known cases, air bag manufacturer Takata Corp. filed for bankruptcy earlier this year due to faulty products.

Mitsubishi Materials closed 8.1 percent lower Friday, wiping almost $400 million from its market value. Its stock had hit a two-year high earlier in the month, buoyed by stronger global metals prices. While the units affected are relatively small, the company said it can’t yet quantify the impact on its earnings.

Mitsubishi Materials President Akira Takeuchi told a briefing in Tokyo on Friday that the company didn’t disclose the problem when it reported earnings earlier this month because it wanted to find all of the customers affected. Takeuchi also said he won’t quit due to the misconduct.

“My duty is to instruct and supervise the investigation of the causes, and to take preventive measures swiftly,” he said.

Takeuchi also said the company is carrying out a probe into all of its operations, including practices at its subsidiaries.

Mitsubishi Cable and Mitsubishi Shindoh said Thursday they have each set up an investigative committee whose members include external lawyers to conduct a detailed probe and compile preventive measures.

Mitsubishi Materials expects the results of its investigation to be released by the end of the year.

At a briefing Friday, trade minister Hiroshige Seko called the matter “extremely regrettable.” He said the ministry has asked related departments to investigate its causes and is seeking an explanation from Mitsubishi Cable on why it took so long to report the problem. He added that he considers it a matter for the companies and not an industry-wide issue.

According to the Thursday statement by Mitsubishi Materials, Mitsubishi Cable uncovered the misconduct in February and stopped shipping non-conforming products on Oct. 23 before the company told its parent firm two days later. Mitsubishi Shindoh found out about its own problem in October and stopped shipments on Oct. 18, alerting Mitsubishi Materials the following day.

Mitsubishi Materials reported on the misconduct, with details of the products and customers affected, to the transport ministry on Friday.

Kobe Steel’s crisis erupted in early October, collapsing its shares. Although 525 customers were affected, none has yet to report safety issues and no products have been recalled. That has allowed its stock to recover some of its losses. As of last week, shipments to 484 clients had been given the all-clear.

Kobe blamed lax controls and too much focus on profit for its shortcomings, including unrealistically high standards that exceeded clients’ expectations and encouraged staff to disregard quality guidelines for a decade or more. The company was forced to abandon its profit forecasts and has lost quality assurance certification — often demanded by customers as a condition of sale — at seven of its 20 plants.

Aircraft maker Airbus SE said in a statement it doesn’t directly procure any materials from the Mitsubishi Materials companies and is investigating whether any of its suppliers are affected. Boeing Co. said it is reviewing the matter.

“Even if Mitsubishi Shindoh and Mitsubishi Cable don’t make up a big portion of the company’s earnings, not just the short-term impact but the mid- and long-term impact on its orders is a cause of concern,” Keiju Kurosaka, senior analyst at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, said in a note.

About a fifth of Mitsubishi Cable’s output of seals from April 2015 to September this year may not meet standards, according to the statement. The company’s seal product business makes up about 40 percent of its revenue. The problems identified at the Shindoh and Aluminum units are much more minor, accounting for less than 1 percent of their sales, according to the company.










彭博商業周刊 / 中文版


【即時頭條】三菱綜合材料承認資料造假 股價暴跌


三菱綜合材料一度重挫11％，該公司於11月22日承認旗下三家關聯公司偽造資料，涉及產品可能已交付給包括汽車、飛機製造商在內的250多家客戶。這是又一家承認在質量把關上投機取巧的日本製造企業。


據11月23日的公告，三菱電線工業株式會社偽造了橡膠密封件資料，三菱伸銅株式會社謊報用於汽車配件的黃銅捲料強度資料。這些產品可能已交付給三菱電線的229家客戶，以及三菱伸銅的29家客戶。該公司稱，Mitsubishi Aluminum Co.也交付了不合格產品，不過其已與客戶確認產品是安全的。


截至東京時間9時45分，三菱綜合材料股價下跌8.3％至3750日元。該股11月早些時候一度觸及兩年高位，受全球金屬價格走強支撐。（撰文：Keiko Ujikane、Masumi Suga）
















Mitsubishi Materials unit falsified product data for years: Nikkei - Reuters







https://www.reuters.com/...mitsubishi.../mitsubishi-materials-unit-fal...




16 時間前 - T) unit falsified product data for years, the Nikkei financial daily reported, the latest in a series of quality assurance ... Mitsubishi Cable Industries had falsified data on its O-rings, used by hundreds of customers for industrial ...





報導指出，過去以來三菱電線工業所出產的 O 型環素以高品質，與高可靠性著稱，多數企業將它使用於需要密封的工業零組件當中，例如使用於飛機或核能等產品線上。而目前傳出數據造假的三菱電線工業所出產 O 型環產品，已經被數百個用戶用於其產品上。只是，報導引用多個消息來源指出，截至目前為止尚未發現有安全顧慮的問題。


至於，三菱電線工業因為在 23 日為日本國定休假日，因此公司尚未對此提出正式的說明。


報導進一步指出，三菱電線工業的數據造假案，是因為該公司內部在調查日本第三大鋼鐵製造商神戶製鋼（Kobe Steel）之前發生數據偽造醜聞後意外發現的，三菱材料與神戶製鋼在銅管合資企業中分別各占有 45% 的股權。而 2017 年以來，包括日產汽車、神戶製鋼等日本大企業皆蘭爆出造價醜聞，加上過去幾年來日本企業假造數據的情況屢見不鮮，也使得日本製造高品質產品的形象受到嚴重衝擊。


（首圖來源：日本三菱官網）






三菱電線工業也被爆數據造假，以高品質著稱的 O 型環，目前尚未發現有安全的顧慮，只是形象似乎已打折。大家覺得呢？



















日本企業再爆造假醜聞，三菱電線工業爆 O 型環數據造假


持續爆出數據造假醜聞的日本企業，日前又再傳出相關消息。根據《 日本經濟新聞》 的報導，日本三菱集團的三菱材料 (Mitsubishi Materials)…



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