Quality control

In order to produce better castings, we will make further improvements in quality.

Since our founding, we have been ceaselessly engaged in efforts to improve quality. We were granted ISO 9002 certification on March 16, 2001, and are presently carrying out quality-control measures based on ISO 9001 at all of our plants. We endeavor daily to improve quality in terms of full mold technology and DMP technology.

In order to fully satisfy the varied demands of our clients, we carry out a thorough regimen of quality control. The demands of a client are incorporated into manufacturing procedures and deployed into manufacturing processes by engineering staff members in each section. Products are brought to life in line with client demands by trained on-site staff members.
Final shipping inspections are conducted by inspectors in the Quality Assurance Division, a section that operates at arms’ length from the Manufacturing Unit. Products that successfully pass a strict inspection will be delivered to clients.

<Material inspections>
Tensile testing (universal testing machine), impact testing (Charpy impact testing machine), hardness testing (Brinell hardness tester, portable hardness meter), metallographic examinations (optical microscope, SEM, EDS)
<Dimensional inspections>
3D dimensional measurements (ATOS, automated laser measuring instrument)
<Non-destructive inspections>
UT (ultrasonic testing), MT (magnetic testing), PT (penetrant testing),
ET (eddy-current testing), ST (stress-gauge testing), VT (visual testing)

At Kimura, we have cultivated a culture in which all employees are encouraged to submit improvement proposals every month. Awards are conferred by the heads of each unit during semi-annual enhancement months. Employees who submit the most exceptional improvement proposals over the course of a year win the President’s Award. The culture is such that sessions at which improvement reports are issued are regularly held and exceptional improvement reports can be shared with other units.

In addition to conducting research and development work on the quality of materials and coatings and managing casting plans and casting sand, the Development Division provides on-site support in terms of IoT technology and various other elements. Whenever a defect or failure arises, the causes of such a failure are also analyzed with highly developed equipment. Activities to help spread knowledge concerning casting technology across the entire workforce of the company are being undertaken by having quality workshops for engineering staff members in other units held by members of the Development Division who possess specialized knowledge.

We promote correspondence courses as a form of education and training designed to raise the skill levels of our employees. Each year, many employees take these courses for self-development purposes. In addition, we strive to enable our employees to obtain qualifications by urging them to proactively participate in internal workshops and outside courses and academic conferences. Each unit also provides special training sessions. All of these various initiatives are managed with the use of skill charts that are maintained as individual records for each employee.