In the manufacturing business, product quality is the most fundamental element of customer satisfaction. The Sanyo Group's concept of product quality includes not just the safety, reliability, usability, and basic performance of the products themselves, but also the quality of service before and after sales, which covers the provision of product information and the explanation of usage methods. The Sanyo Group has been implementing various initiatives for the creation of even better products, and is increasing quality from the customer’s perspective.
In fiscal 2008, the head office quality department created a system for independent and objective evaluation and guidance provision for quality improvement activities and the Quality Management Systems (QMS) being operated and promoted at each Sanyo Group site. By making its Quality Management Systems function even more effectively, Sanyo is improving the safety, reliability and quality of its products.

At the quality assurance departments of the head office and various divisions, the Sanyo Group carries out multifaceted inspections of the products that it manufactures and sells, according to inspection standards and methods devised for each product category. The inspection standards include legally required standards, Sanyo's own standards relating to safety and performance, and criteria based on customer perspectives. Products that have some items identified by inspectors during the inspection that they do not meet all the requirements are subject to strict measures for improvement confirmation and shipment determination.

In order to provide customers with safe and reliable products, the Sanyo Group has prepared and implemented its own product safety standards in Japanese, Chinese, and English that surpass the stringent standards established by law and external agencies. These standards include clear product testing conditions, and ensure the creation of safe and reliable products by detailing examples of possible product accidents. A checklist has also been prepared to ensure that the standards are strictly followed.
Moreover, in order to evaluate and verify safety through actual testing, the Product Safety Test Lab located at Sanyo's Tokyo Plant actually burns products and components, and shares the results with each operating division for use in product development and design.

In fiscal 2008, Sanyo experienced quality problems with a microwave oven and a washing machine, which needed to be disclosed. Regrettably, this caused inconvenience to customers and retailers.
As Sanyo takes such incidents very seriously, an accident investigation committee consisting of external experts was formed, and measures were taken to completely eliminate the accident causes and prevent any reoccurrence. Reports containing the investigation results were shared with all the quality departments in the Sanyo Group to serve as future reference cases. The preventative measures arising from these incidents were then reflected in the product safety standards, and will be utilized for preventative safety in the development of future products. The reports were also presented at a group-wide quality and customer satisfaction conference, and employees in not only quality and customer satisfaction departments, but also in various other departments, were reminded of the importance of putting safety and reliability first.

The basis of quality improvement lies in quality management training for employees.
The company holds internal briefings to ensure that the laws and regulations related to quality including the Japanese Consumer Product Safety Law and a product labeling agreement that serves as the industry rules based on the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations are observed strictly.
The Sanyo Group has adopted the "Six Sigma" method as one way to improve quality, and carries out employee training using this technique. The "Six Sigma" is based on scientific statistical analysis, and involves investigating the cause of problems that occur in the manufacturing process along with measures to deal with them, in order to reduce process defect rates and improve quality. Each division is obtaining good results with this method. In order to have the "Six Sigma" method function effectively, it is necessary to train numerous project leaders called "Black Belts." Accordingly, a group of mostly younger section chiefs and general managers undergo a 15-day training course. They then identify a range of high-priority issues for their own departments or projects, and take on the challenge of resolving the problems while receiving coaching. Those that attain a certain level of results are given the Black Belt status, and engage in quality management training in their own departments. This activity has now also begun outside Japan, and in April 2008, 15 people from five companies in Southern China underwent Black Belt training in this region. The Sanyo Group plans to actively expand this activity in China and Southeast Asia, where it has many manufacturing subsidiaries.

Black Belt training in China