Partnership with Customers
Customer Satisfaction
ALPS
SHOW in CustomerManagement
of Chemical Substances Contained in ProductsVOICE：Creating
an environment that enables quick response
We visit customer locations to present our “ALPS SHOW in Customer” so distant clients can see the new products and technologies we exhibit at ALPS SHOWs. Based on “Partnership with Customers” from the Alps Business Approach, the “ALPS SHOW in Customer” provides our domestic and overseas customers with an opportunity to appreciate the overall value of Alps Electric. It also provides us with an opportunity to accurately assess customer needs by communicating with staff members who we usually do not meet during routine sales activity.
We then utilize this information in developing new products. We held “ALPS SHOW in Customer” at approximately 40 locations around Japan and the world within the six month period following ALPS SHOW 2006. It was visited by more than 10,000 customers in total, each company possessing its own set of needs and requirements for products and technologies. We are committed to improving satisfaction by providing sophisticated products that take full account of customers’ particular markets and regional characteristics.
Apparatus for simplified analysis is used to examine
material
at all our production-based plants around the world.
Hazardous chemical substances are eliminated from our products at the design phase. In conjunction, we also possess a global management system that eliminates such substances from all stages such as materials/parts procurement and final processing/delivery. All suppliers are requested to provide information on chemical substances contained in the materials and parts they deliver, and this information is retained in our database. From a compliance perspective, we were able to eliminate all substances listed in the RoHS Directive (*A) by the end of 2004. In addition, we also advance new initiatives to comply with related laws and regulations before they come into effect. We also respond accordingly to requests from our customers.
(*A) RoHS Directive: The Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive prohibits the use of certain hazardous chemical substances in computers, telecommunications equipment, home appliances, etc. in the European Union (EU). The six chemical substances prohibited by the Directive are lead, sexvalent chrome, mercury, cadmium, PBB and PBDE (brominated flame-retardants).
Hiroyuki Kusaka
Quality Engineering Department, Alps Electric Headquarters
I believe that winning customer confidence requires responding quickly to their requests for information regarding quality. Alps uses a Global Quality Information System (GQIS), an intranet system for registering customer inquiries and requests received via sales departments. We also register the corresponding responses prepared by domestic and overseas production based facilities into this system.
Since drawings and image data can also be registered into the GQIS, it facilitates material exchange of real information. The system displays delivery dates and inquiry progress, and allows all our bases throughout the world to access and view this information. We endeavor to improve response to customer inquiries by quantifying technical and response speed evaluations received by both customers and our sales departments.
I am engaged in analyzing inquiry trends and in ongoing improvement of response action. With placing customer satisfaction as first priority, I’m also constantly involved in making improvements to the system itself, in particular, finding ways to simplify the system and making it easier for the user.
