General quality information

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The AKM Group Quality Policy: We will provide high quality and safe products that are trusted by customers across the world.

  • AKM will always create and provide new added value from the customer's perspective.
  • We supply products to the world that meet the legal, regulatory, and customer requirements.
  • All employees, from site staff to top management, will strive to improve quality and address environmental issues on a daily basis and to make continuous improvements.

Hideyuki Shinomiya,
President of Asahi Kasei Microdevices Corporation

Hideyuki Shinomiya, President of Asahi Kasei Microdevices Corporation

The AKM Group has obtained ISO9001 certification, the international standard for quality management systems, and IATF16949 certification, the automobile sector standard.

Certification acquisition history

June 1995, ISO9001: certification acquired
April 2003, ISO9001: 2000 certification acquired
July 2008, ISO / TS16949: 2002 certification acquired
July 2011, ISO9001: 2008 certification acquired
August 2018, ISO9001: 2015 certification acquired
August 2018, IATF16949: 2016 certification acquired

ISO 9001 ISO 9001
IATF 16949 IATF 16949

The AKM Group manages each stage from product planning to development, production, and end of production. When moving to the next stage, we conduct examinations to meet the product requirements so as to ensure customer satisfaction.

The AKM Group product realization stages


1-1 Product planning: Investigate market trends and define and plan product specifications
1-2 Product planning review
2-1 Development plan: Define detailed product specifications and formulate a development plan
2-2 Review of development plan
3-1 Development implementation: Design and develop products and manufacturing processes
3-2 Examination for production commencement
4-1 Production: Mass production of products and stable production through continuous improvement
5-1 Proposal for discontinuation of production
5-2 Discontinuation of production: Discontinue production of the product

As shown in the quality assurance system diagram for details of the product realization system, the Quality Assurance Department is involved in the examination and certification of each stage up to production to confirm the validity of product development.

Quality assurance system diagram

Quality assurance system diagram

The AKM Group conducts tests with reference to industry standards such as JEITA, JEDEC, and AEC-Q100, depending on the purpose of verification. 

Reliability certification

At the development planning stage, we confirm the application, reliability level, and customer requirements, verify the differentiation (novelty) from existing products, and determine the certification content by referring to the AKM Group standard test conditions and industry standards.
We will confirm that the requirements that are determined after the reliability test are satisfied and carry out the certification.

Difference analysis points (examples)

  • Quality target, actual use environment, actual use condition
  • Circuit configuration, layout pattern, circuit elements used, strictness of applied design rules
  • Manufacturing process flow, process control method, and equipment
  • Interrelationship between chip and package (electrode material / structure, top layer protective film, chip size, tab size, etc.)

Example of the AKM Group test method

Example of the AKM Group test method

The Purchasing Department of the AKM Group evaluates the quality and performance of raw materials and services when they are purchased. We also encourage our suppliers to obtain ISO9001, IATF16949, and ISO14001 certifications, and build a supply chain with our customers. In addition, giving consideration to the environment and the materials contained, at the evaluation, we obtain and confirm non-content certificates and non-use certificates as necessary.
Please refer to "Environmental Information" for measures taken against environmentally hazardous materials and green procurement.

Outsourcing company management


When part of the manufacturing process is outsourced, the AKM Group establishes a cooperative system based on the specifications exchanged with the outsourcing contractor and promotes the maintenance and improvement of the quality of the AKM Group products through continuous evaluation and verification. 
From the perspective of supply chain management, we take the following points into consideration when managing the supply chains.

  1. Enhancement of prior activities that lead to prevention of quality abnormalities, not just responding after quality abnormalities occur.
  2. Development of a quality management system for contractors with the goal of conforming to IATF16949.

The AKM Group's activities in managing outsourcing contractors

The AKM Group's activities in managing outsourcing contractors

When making changes to products or processes, it is necessary to evaluate, verify, and validate the impact on quality, reliability, and environmental regulations. The AKM Group has established change management rules for all the changes based on J-STD-046 “CUSTOMER NOTIFICATION STANDARD FOR PRODUCT/PROCESS CHANGES BY ELECTRONIC PRODUCT SUPPLIERS”.

When there is any change in specifications, change that affect the quality / reliability of the product, or prior agreement with the customer, we will contact you in advance about the change plan and reflect the customer's knowledge and requests. Please refer to the table "Examples of changes to be notified to customers" for examples of changes to be notified to customers.

Examples of changes to be notified to customers

Examples of changes to be notified to customers

Change management procedure (overview)

Change management procedure (overview)

If you have any quality problems with the products of the AKM Group, please contact the sales representative of The AKM Group. After investigating the cause and taking measures to prevent recurrence based on the customer's request, the Quality Assurance Department will compile the information and report it to the customer through the sales representative. The returned product will be analyzed by the Quality Assurance Department of the AKM Group. Based on the analysis results, the Quality Assurance Department instructs related departments to investigate the cause and examine the measures to prevent recurrence. The main related departments include the Design and Development Departments, Manufacturing Department, and Outsourcing Management departments (outsourced contractors, etc.) and issues are addressed within the structure that cross-cuts these department including the Quality Assurance Department, if required.

Defective products in the in-house process are also analyzed in cooperation with the related departments in accordance with the "Analysis flow of products returned from customers". (Analysis flow: As of March 1, 2024, we select analysis equipment and methods according to the product and malfunction symptoms.)

Organizational chart of the AKM Group for dealing with quality issues with customers

Organizational chart of the AKM Group for dealing with quality issues with customers

Analysis flow of returned goods from customers

Analysis flow of returned goods from customers