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 February 2010, the Group introduced and continues to develop a product safety information database. In the event of a product safety issue in the marketplace, this database allows employees receiving information of a safety problem to report it immediately to the applicable department and the head of the Quality Assurance Division. Steps are then taken to convene an Emergency Action Committee Meeting^*1. The committee moves quickly to respond to affected customers, notify the appropriate government authorities, initiate measures aimed at preventing recurrence and report to top management. Details are recorded and displayed via the database.

• *1 Emergency Action Committee Meeting: A meeting attended by representatives from the relevant Production and Sales divisions, the Service, Legal and Public Relations divisions as well as other division identified as relevant by the head of the Quality Assurance Division.

  In fiscal 2010, Yamaha decided to file a recall report with Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, directly notify customers as well as inspect and repair free of charge possible defects in two products (the soundproof room Avitecs™ and the Electone™ EL-90, EL-90I and EL-70) that could have potentially resulted in injury to customers.

  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

  The Yamaha Group has initiated human resource training as well as product safety courses from 2010 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. In fiscal 2010, these courses were attended by a total of 47 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. During fiscal 2010, the Group 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.