Sumitomo Rubber Industries, a major tire manufacturer, has revealed that it has conducted quality tests on rubber products used for harbor quays by a method different from the guidelines set by international organizations, and has committed fraudulent data falsification. Did.

According to the announcement, Sumitomo Rubber Industries has established guidelines set by international organizations for some rubber products called "fenders" that are produced at a factory in Kakogawa City, Hyogo Prefecture, to prevent damage to ships and the like on the quay of the port. The quality was tested differently and the data was tampered with.



These frauds have been committed since at least May 2016, with 5389 units shipped, but according to the company, interviews with employees may have been fraudulent since the early 1990s. I am in a hurry to confirm.



Apart from this, at the production base of a subsidiary in South Africa, some of the approximately 400,000 tires shipped from August to May 2017 have specifications that differ from the agreement with the customer's automobile manufacturer. It was shipped.



The company says that there is no problem with product safety, but we have set up a special investigation committee that includes an outside lawyer to investigate the cause.



Sumitomo Rubber Industries commented, "We will strengthen our quality control system to prevent recurrence and restore trust so that such a situation will not occur again."