Hajime Jotoku

At EBARA, we have established the basic group policy on quality, "EBARA Global Quality (EGQ)," and actively conduct EGQ activities to achieve its goals. In this role, I support EGQ activities within the Precision Machinery Company. Through monthly meetings and discussions with company members, I identify key challenges and propose targeted improvement measures. Additionally, as part of the EGQ Secretariat, I organize the EGQ Activity Report Meeting attended by executive management and 13 domestic business units, prepare for and summarize the bi-annual EGQ Activity Promotion Council, and publish the internal group quality newsletter, "EGQ Report."

I began my involvement in quality assurance activities in the 1980s. Currently, I find fulfillment in utilizing my past experiences to propose improvements in quality assurance and support the establishment of systems. However, I strive to ensure that my suggestions are not imposed from a position of seniority due to my long career but rather presented as one opinion for consideration. Regarding skill acquisition, I learned about the ideal state of quality assurance while preparing for ISO 9001 certification. Specifically, this includes reading standards, guiding internal audits, and attending seminars. Additionally, I have learned to use the seven QC (Quality Control) tools through practical application.

As I approach the final chapter of my career, my goal is to pass down the importance of quality assurance in meeting customer expectations and EBARA's quality management expertise to the next generation. EBARA hopes to establish a functional company-wide quality assurance organization that evaluates across the group. To those you who will lead the future, I hope you will always maintain the a mindset of pursuing the "root cause" —asking yourself why something happened—whenever a problem arises. Moreover, it is also important to adopt a proactive approach to prevent issues by identifying risks and implementing measures in advance. I believe that planning is the most important aspect of any job, not just quality assurance.