Workers faced intense pressure to achieve results, Nidec officials say
Nidec Corp. released the findings Friday of an internal investigation that found 844 cases of quality-control misconduct spanning more than a decade, with some cases dating back to 2012. Chief Executive Mitsuya Kishida apologized at a Tokyo news conference to investors, group companies, customers and “society overall.”
“The entire company is working hard to review and improve our quality controls,” Kishida said.
Kishida bowed deeply as he delivered the apology.
The investigation found two principal categories of misconduct, according to Nidec. Most of the 844 cases involved workers changing product materials or manufacturing processes without securing required approvals. Others involved faking product tests and false labeling about where products originated.
Company officials said almost all of the misconduct was carried out by workers who felt intense pressure to achieve results and wanted to do a good job.
The investigation did not provide details of individual cases of misconduct, the company said. It was launched after accounting fraud at Nidec surfaced last year.