Ensuring Product Safety

  Yamaha takes all possible measures to ensure that its products, services and facilities do not in any way damage the mental and physical well-being as well as the belongings of its customers. If by some chance, the Company's customers are in any way inconvenienced, steps are immediately taken to provide relief and to prevent any recurrence.

  The Yamaha Group has put in place a system that enables a faster response to ensure the safety of customers. In the event of a product safety issue in the marketplace, employees who receive notification of a safety problem report it immediately to the applicable department and the Quality Assurance Division. After receiving the report, the head of the Quality Assurance Division promptly convenes the relevant departments from across the company, moving to respond to affected customers, notify the appropriate government authorities, initiate measures aimed at preventing recurrence and report to top management.

  In fiscal 2011, the Yamaha Group decided to file a recall report with Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, directly notify customer via mail as well as inspect and repair free of charge defects in one product, Silent House, that could have potentially resulted in injury to customers.

  “Silent House” is an outdoor type soundproof room for which a recall report was filed in November 2011. There is a probability that the eaves over the entrance will fall down due to the onset of rust caused by the intrusion of rainwater from the caulked part of the eaves. As of May 31, 2012, Yamaha had completed response for 165 of the 215 products sold in total by conducting free inspections and repairs of the eaves.

  Yamaha has developed a structure for full compliance with regulations and standards worldwide pertaining to product quality and safety as well as environmental protection.

  For example, demand has in recent years expanded for the quick development and sale of products that comply with the increasingly stringent international standards that apply to electromagnetic waves. In responding to these calls, Yamaha has established within its headquarters a quality evaluation facility equipped with an array of measuring, analytical and evaluation devices including state-of-the-art electromagnetic wave-measuring facilities. The design division plays a leading role in evaluating product and component prototypes for compliance with respect to the regulations of relevant countries at this facility.

An anechoic chamber used for electromagnetic wave measurement

  In fiscal 2010, The Yamaha Group has initiated human resource training as well as product safety courses in efforts to prevent product safety issues from arising. In addition to introducing case studies of specific safety issues, the Group has commenced training courses in essential safety design policies as well as statutory and regulatory requirements with respect to product safety. During two years between fiscal 2010 and fiscal 2011, these courses were attended by a total of 83 employees comprising mainly engineers and personnel from development areas.

  The Yamaha Group places considerable emphasis on taking precautions during the development, design and production stages to prevent any incidence of product safety issues. From fiscal 2010, the Group has reinforced its design review procedures with respect to product safety across the development and design divisions.

  Furthermore, additional weight was placed on uncovering and predicting risks inherent in products from their design stage and use. Excluding their causes, the Group is ramping up its pursuit of essential safety design and promoting risk assessment that takes into consideration product design processes.