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Quality and Customer Value

A commitment to quality is essential to achieving a sustainable society and providing people worldwide with safe and comfortable living through attractive, high-quality products, services and solutions. This commitment embodies the “Bridgestone E8 Commitment.” The Bridgestone Group established the Quality Mission Statement to engage every employee in contributing to the creation of high-quality products, services and solutions that exceed customer’s expectations through innovation and kaizen (continuous improvement).

The Quality Mission Statement is a blueprint for the future direction of the Group and its leadership, based on the spirit of its founder Shojiro Ishibashi, which is etched into Bridgestone . It advances the Group’s proud heritage of quality and commitment to continuous improvement. Shojiro Ishibashi instilled these values in Bridgestone’s DNA.

Through employee engagement with a commitment toward continuous improvement and innovation, the Group strives to apply the principles of excellence to achieve superior quality throughout the entire value chain, across all businesses and globally.

The Group puts the safety of its customers and employees first and delivers products, services and solutions with superior quality.

The foundation to reinforce quality management is Bridgestone’s DNA “Focus on quality” and our mission, “Serving Society with Superior Quality” which reflects the DNA. Firstly, we will start to reaffirm and re-penetrate the DNA, and return to the origin by reconfirming the Bridgestone’s unique Deming Plan, which we have been promoting since the 1960s. The basic thought of the Deming Plan is “Good company quality makes good quality of products and services.” Based on this, we will reaffirm and re-penetrate 5 concepts of - “PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act),” “Use why why why analysis,” “Promote rational standardization,” “Explain by using accurate data,” and “Control important points” throughout the company.

Kanichiro Ishibashi (appointed as president in 1963) used the hand-drawn image below when he initiated a restructuring plan in 1968. This image highlights the importance of quality in all the aspects of the business and remains fundamental to our DNA.

Quality is led by the Quality Management department, but is a cross-functional responsibility. We cannot achieve our superior quality standards through just one departmental function. Quality is an outcome of thoughtful interdisciplinary planning and execution, and it is the underlying value of its businesses.

The Group is always looking for ways to strengthen its culture of quality:

• The Quality Mission Statement has been deployed globally, and requires a company-wide commitment – from top executives to newly hired staff. We have implemented awareness and e-learning programs to underline the active role everyone within the Group must play for Bridgestone to achieve its mission to create customer value and maintain customer trust. To reenforce Bridgestone's DNA, "Focus on quality,” and our company's global mission, "Serving Society with Superior Quality," we will reinvent Bridgestone's unique Deming Plan and communicate those changes to all executives and staff.
• We prioritize quality education across the organization. Specific training modules are delivered to increase competencies regarding quality tools and capabilities. Lean Six Sigma programs or statistical quality controls are also implemented at the strategic business unit (SBU) level.
• The Group places emphasis on managing risks throughout the value chain. In particular, the Group developed a set of standardized quality requirements (called Process Quality Assurance Reference List: PQARL) based on global best practices to mitigate risks and ensure the delivery of the highest quality tire products and services. Since 2020, the Group has expanded the scope of quality requirements in PQARL to include diversified products, bicycles, sporting goods and internal manufacturing business categories to further advancing quality improvement.

To achieve its quality and customer value mission, the Group established goals, including:

• Achieving ISO 9001 quality management system certification at all of the Group’s manufacturing sites.
• Monitoring quality-related items regarding environmental, social and governance (ESG) evaluations using the industry average as a benchmark and disclosing certain ESG milestones.

To achieve the above goal, the Group is promoting the dissemination of the Quality Mission Statement to all employees globally. The Group is developing a quality assurance system that will enable it to produce high-quality products that are friendly to the global environment and minimize waste in the production process of each business site.

The Group requires all manufacturing locations in which the Group has a 50% or more share to achieve and maintain ISO 9001 quality management system certification. As of February 1, 2024, 115 sites are targeted for ISO 9001 certification, and 115 sites are certified (Certification acquisition rate: 100%).

The Group embraces internal and external audits and certifications, such as IATF 16949^*1 and VDA 6.1,^*2 so that the Group can ensure superior quality that meets our customers’ demands.

1. International standards for quality management systems specific to the automotive industry
2. Standards for quality management systems for the German automobile industry

The Group has established the Global CQO Organization, which is composed of the Global Chief Quality Officer (Global CQO) and the CQOs of all SBUs. Together, they are responsible for ensuring the quality of products, services and solutions in their respective markets. The CQOs guide and support the organization by promoting quality innovation and continuous improvement activities that lead to the production of safe, high-performing products to deliver customer value and maintain customer trust.

In 2017, the Group established the Global Quality Management Committee (GQMC) to strengthen global governance regarding the deployment of its quality mission and initiatives in each SBU.

The GQMC sets the global quality direction and strategy, identifies global quality challenges, and proposes solutions that leverage global expertise and resources. The Group has also established an auditing framework to continuously assess the effectiveness of systems and processes to deliver the highest quality of products, services and solutions to its customers.

Global CQO Organization

Entire value chain

The Group is committed to creating customer value and maintaining customer trust by continuously enhancing the quality of products, services and solutions throughout the entire value chain based on the Quality Mission Statement principles.

To ensure the quality of design and development globally, the Group standardizes and continuously enhances its processes in all technology centers.

The Group leverages the structure and collaboration outlined in the Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) process, which includes critical tasks from concept approval through production. The aim is to create a product quality plan for developing and manufacturing products that meet customer requirements.

For quality assurance in the development process, the Group’s aim is to successfully deliver and continuously identify opportunities to optimize the development processes of all product development groups. The scope covers the entire development process, including production processes and manufacturing technology.

In all SBUs at the global level, development processes are structured using a gate-based approach. At each gate, all specified criteria must be met to assure achievement of development targets (including risk analysis) and final product safety and quality.

The Group procures raw materials and outsourced products from a wide range of suppliers. To maintain and continuously enhance quality assurance throughout the value chain, the Group applies the highest quality standards to all suppliers and business partners (including Tier-N) by requesting their compliance with a purchase contract and its Global Sustainable Procurement Policy. To ensure superior quality, the Group also established Group-wide approval criteria for raw materials and outsourced products.

Each SBU currently holds annual procurement policy briefings related to quality assurance for Tier 1 suppliers. Additionally, to help prevent quality issues at any of its suppliers, the company provides them with guidance for improvement several times per year.

The Group is proud of the relationships it has built with its suppliers. It also continuously monitors the quality of goods received, audits suppliers and pursues other initiatives to ensure suppliers maintain high quality assurance systems and supply products that consistently meet its quality requirements.

For more details, see “Procurement.”

Global Business Support and SBUs have been strengthening their cooperation on outsourcing products to improve global quality assurance.

At the global level, the Group is continuously working with its partners and suppliers to enhance the overall quality of outsourced products and deliver superior quality to customers. This includes providing training and other supplier development that instills high quality standards and criteria which focuses on assuring early detection of any potential issues.

The Group strives to continuously improve global manufacturing processes by introducing innovative technologies to consistently create industry leading products, services and solutions that meet growing customer expectations.

The Group seeks to identify potential quality risks at its production sites and proactively implements preventive actions using failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) quality assurance methods and by focusing on Critical to Quality inputs.

To minimize risks and deliver superior quality products, we define and standardize quality requirements as a PQARL based on domestic and international best practices. We publish global quality investment guidelines every year regarding investments to improve the level of quality assurance necessary to meet these requirements, and regularly conduct assessments to confirm the status of implementation on sites.

The Group has established a system to share best practices and continuous improvement activities at the global level, to ensure all facilities are aligned on state-of-the-art manufacturing processes.

The Group promotes the application of risk-based thinking at all levels of the business based on ISO standards applied throughout the value chain (product strategy, development, procurement, manufacturing, distribution, sales, and service).
Especially during development and production, the Group carries out APQP, performs design failure mode and effect analysis (D-FMEA) and process failure mode and effects analysis (P-FMEA), while cross functional teams conduct regular design reviews at each stage of the process.

The Group also conducts continuous monitoring of manufacturing process quality and final product evaluation in order to meet regulatory and customer requirements and our internal standards.

The Group continuously monitors quality KPIs in each SBU to trigger actions at an early stage and exchanges best practices and new learnings among all locations to prevent recurrence of quality issues.

As part of the quest to transform from a “product out” to a “market in” business model, the Group has sought to better utilize the Voice of Customers (VOC) and Voice of Business Partners (VOB) and incorporate this management system into the drive to increase customer value. The Group manages the VOC/VOB of each market to suit local conditions and provide the optimal products, services and solutions to its customers.

In Japan, the customer summary system collects VOC from the Customer Communication Center and other relevant departments and shares that information to help improve the quality of Bridgestone products, services and solutions.

Bridgestone Americas (BSAM) and Bridgestone Europe, Middle East, and Africa (BSEMEA) have used commercial market segmentation surveys and Net Promoter Scores (NPS) to help ascertain the degree of consumer satisfaction with tire patterns and devise future product plans. Specific customer value indicators (CVI) have also been useful practical indicators. In the Asia Pacific region, Bridgestone conducts periodic market research at a high-level.

The Group will continue building a solution-driven business model and strengthening VOC/VOB management, with the firm belief that these activities will help improve products, services and solutions quality and create added value for customers.

The Group continuously collects and analyzes data related to the markets (including failures and incidents) for all SBUs.

The Group’s tires are driven on roads worldwide, so the Group collects data from any available source and promptly shares the information collected and the results of tire analysis with all relevant departments to help improve tire quality.

For example, in cases of passenger car tire wear, the Group proactively collects information by visiting markets, meeting with distributors, analyzing actual tires, and inspecting used tires. It also establishes systems to analyze trends and promptly identify potential concerns, making it possible to act before problems arise in the market. The Group has promoted early detection of potential problems requiring global and rapid market action and created a rapid response and accurate risk management system designed to facilitate accurate judgments and market action.

As part of Global Quality Governance, the Group utilizes a global CQO system. The CQO system enables each SBU to make rapid judgments based on market information. To identify potential risks and investigate causes in each case each SBU uses a system for statistically analyzing and periodically evaluating market information. Based on the results, each SBU follows its own detailed procedures and implements the appropriate market response in accordance with Bridgestone standards and the applicable local regulations.

The Group also shares the information globally and strives to prevent recurrence of quality issues within the Group.

The Group will continue to nurture a culture focused on safety and quality, so it can offer consumers the highest quality products that are also safe and reliable.

In case of a product recall, the Group notifies government agencies and discloses information at the following local Bridgestone websites:

Japan (in Japanese)

United States

China (in Chinese)

Please see ESG data for the detail.

In Japan, Bridgestone monitors the state of quality in the market and also collects and analyzes market quality information and VOCs. The company also implements a PDCA approach for early resolution and to implement improvements in accordance with its quality manuals and standards. At other SBUs, potential quality issues and customer complaints are collected and analyzed. In particular, safety issues are analyzed in detail in accordance with local regulations and Bridgestone standards.

The Group aims to innovate for sustainable mobility using advanced technologies and solutions. The Group also aims to provide products, services and solutions that support safe and secure movement through the evolution of mobility. To these ends, the Group has implemented a robust Quality Management System at all SBUs and throughout the value chain. Delivering safe products, services and solutions that meet customer expectations is one of our top priorities.

The Group will continuously expand and evolve its business to meet the changing needs of society and continue supporting the safe and secure mobility and lifestyles of individuals.

As a part of the Group’s Quality Assurance System evolution, the Group is now promoting Prediction Technology based on big data, which leads to higher value for customers and more efficient internal processes. This technology provides useful insights that enable actions at an early stage, improves upstream processes by reducing variations, and predicts and enhances the performance of products, services and solutions. By collecting market data and customer feedback, and applying prediction technology, the Group can manage such data and keep co-creating higher value for customers and wider society.

The Group’s global commitment to quality is instrumental in supporting its vision of becoming a sustainable solutions company that provides social and customer value. This commitment is clearly stated in the Group's Mid-Long Term Business Strategy and demonstrated by its efforts to co-create value with customers, partners, and society overall.

In recent years, the Group's quality-related activities for its solutions business have become increasingly important. Beginning in 2017 in collaboration with the Pilbara Mining Solution Center in Australia, the Group structured a quality management system for the solutions service network. In 2019, the acquisition of Webfleet Solutions provided a framework for the global quality management system to expand and accelerate the application of quality-related activities to new business domains, including mergers and acquisitions.

As a global common quality management foundation in our solutions business, the Group formulated the Solutions Business Management Guidelines in 2020. Each SBU establishes and operates a solutions quality management system customized to the characteristics of the region and market in which they operate based on these guidelines, supporting the provision of value to society and customers.

We will continuously improve and strengthen quality management in our solutions business, enhancing the foundation for quickly resolving customer issues and providing new value to our customers.

The Group believes it is critical to pass on its traditional commitment to quality and high level of acquired skills to the next generations. The Group provides quality and product safety training to all employees utilizing various tools and platforms (e.g., e-learning, lecture programs). For operators and inspectors who require specific knowledge and techniques for their work, the Group conducts training programs that include quality control.

Since implementing the Quality Mission Statement in 2016, the Group has been conducting quality-related activities based on the statement for all Group employees. At all Bridgestone region of BRIDGESTONE EAST and WEST annual CSR training programs that include quality management and product safety are also conducted through e-learning. For new employees, quality education that includes the Quality Mission Statement is provided immediately after they join the company. These activities are constantly updated and are being conducted for all employees. These activities and best practices are also shared with other operations to raise the caliber of quality-related activities throughout the Group. In addition, we have begun reaffirming Bridgestone's unique Deming Plan, which we have been promoting since the 1960s to reconfirm and reaffirm Bridgestone's DNA to “Focus on quality”. The basic thought of the Deming Plan is "Good company quality makes good quality products and services." Based on this, the importance of five concepts of "PDCA," "Use why why why analysis," "Promote rational standardization," "Explain by using accurate data," and "Control important points" will be reaffirmed and re-penetrated at each level throughout the global company.

Moving forward, the Group intends to continue developing human resources throughout the Group to help ensure customers receive the highest quality products, services and solutions.

For more than 50 years, TQM activities have been passed down to the whole Group as a culture of continuous improvement and pursuit of innovation. The Bridgestone Group Global TQM conference is held annually for the purpose of enhancing innovation and kaizen through the sharing of best practices related to TQM activities from around the globe to strengthen “improving working and business quality”. The TQM Conference is one of our representative TQM activities aimed at continuing and promoting the deployment of “improving working and business quality” and thoroughly pursuing operational excellence globally. It has been held with the aim of sharing examples of outstanding and innovative improvement activities throughout the Bridgestone Group and fostering mutual growth for realizing our mission of “Serving Society with Superior Quality.”

In 2023, the 13th Group Global TQM conference was held with face-to-face attendance for the first time in four years (since the COVID-19 pandemic). Among over 2,000 improvement cases submitted from the Group, 16 teams representing various regions and business sites presented their excellent initiatives at the conference.