Quality Management Programs
Coway operates various quality management programs to provide high-quality products and services.
In order to prevent defects related with durability and performance of products and parts, which may occur depending on the period of time for which they were used by customers, we conduct mass-production reliability tests periodically and improve quality.
In addition, we use out IoT platform to ascertain customers‘usage environments and patterns and reflect them in reliability test methods. And we also conduct defect-linkage analyses for the improvement of quality and the development of new products.
When developing new products, we strive to improve the quality of products and the level of safety by verifying and enhancing quality from the perspective of customers through the ‘Quality Expert Committee.’ And we identify major quality VOCs received through the ‘Quality VOC Committee’ so as to make improvements.
| Category |
Details |
| Daily quality network |
We carry out quality-improving activities quickly and accurately by operating an analysis center that analyzes and monitors major quality-related data, including AS returns and others, in real time on a daily basis.
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| QSN (Quality Solutions right Now) |
When having a quality issue, we form an ‘emergency TFT’ to immediately improve and address it, thus increasing customer satisfaction.
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| Quality VOC consultative group |
By unifying major channels that receive quality VOCs that occur in the field, we hold regular consultative meetings and cooperate with relevant departments to promptly and accurately improve such issues and apply relevant improvements.
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| ‘Worst’ improvement responsibility system |
We select ‘Worst’ defects for each of the product groups and form an improvement TFT for each task to carry out improvement activities.
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| Quality improvement system |
By managing the status of improvements through a computer system in real time, we shorten schedules. And we continuously improve quality by creating a database of failed cases.
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| Quality expert committee |
We are increasing the quality level of products by operating a group made of experts in design, manufacturing, service, and customer from the stage of developing new products and are implementing quality verification of new products from the viewpoint of customers in order to enhance the quality level of such products.
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Quality Failure Prevention Program
Integrated Certification System Operation
Coway has established a management system to verify and prevent certification risks in all areas from the product planning stage to follow-up management through the operation of an integrated certification system (ICM/CICS), a real-time system for the management of certification status. And we are securing product safety and performance reliability based on thorough follow-up management and monitoring process to be prepared for certification issues at home and abroad.
Integrated Certification System Process
* ICM : Integrated Certification Management
** CICS : Coway Integrated Certification System
Operation of Internationally certified Testing Labs and Certification
By operating a total of 12 internationally certified testing labs, Coway is swiftly responding to rapidly-changing safety trends and certification regulations at home and abroad to beef up its competitiveness and contribute to the development of sustainable products.
In 2023, we additionally acquired the Canadian Standards Association Electrical Safety Testing Laboratory and the California Energy Commission Testing Laboratory, getting international recognition that our facility environments and testing capabilities meet international standards.
Operation of Accredited Testing Labs
By operating a total of 12 internationally certified testing labs, we are able to conduct tests on KC certification, energy efficiency, European CE certification, etc. on our own.
* CSA : Canadian Standards Association
** ERP : Energy related Product
*** CEC : California Energy Commission
Safety Verification System
With the goal of ‘Risk Zero’, Coway has introduced its own safety test standards that are stricter than other domestic and international standards for electrical and electromagnetic-wave safety and product performance, and we are verifying safety from the stage of designing products. We are also conducting cross verifications through external testing laboratories.
In 2023, Coway conducted safety verifications on a total of 224 models, including 170 domestic models and 24 overseas models, and preemptively responded to revised matters regarding energy-consumption efficiency notice for 73 models in order to increase energy efficiency and minimize environmental impacts.
Safety Verification System Process
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01Preliminary safety/performance design verification
From the time the product was first developed, we verify whether usability, safety and performance were sufficiently secured.
Introducing Coway‘s own safety test standards beyond regulatory requirements
-
02Verifying safety of electrical and electromagnetic waves of developed products and their performance
Verifying whether domestic and international regulatory requirements of safety are met (using Coway‘s own internationally-certified testing labs)
Verifying whether product performance standards and requirements are met
Conducting cross verifications through external accredited testing agencies
-
03Verifying the effectiveness of parts
Verifying the effectiveness regarding the safety (certification) of parts used for products
-
04Verifying mass production
Periodic sampling of mass-produced products and re-verifying them through Coway‘s own accredited testing labs
Operating a process of reviewing and improving the product safety management system of each production factory
Status of Verifying the Safety of Coway‘s Mass-produced Products
SSM Establishment and Operation
By observing the phenomenon of repeated failure cases in the process of developing products from a knowledge delivery life cycle perspective, Coway strives to discover systemic issues and operational issues. We also work hard to improve design quality through the knowledge structuring (*SSM) management of failure cases.
* SSM (Stress Strength Method): A Knowledge System of Structures’ Knowledge about Failures/Defects Based on Causal Chains
Process of Handling Customer Complaints
* Complaints about products/ services/ operations can be filed through Coway‘s Ethical (Jeong-Do) Management Center (https://company.coway.com).
By operating the process of handling customer complaints, Coway is swiftly responding to customer complaints. And we analyze quality issues received from customers to come up with and monitor improvement measures.
Out of all complaints, simple inquiries regarding products and services are submitted to the customer center.
Strengthening Quality Management
Coway is conducting training every year to improve internal quality capabilities and acquire related expertise.
In 2023, we conducted a reliability and failure analysis seminar for those in charge of quality and reliability and also provided PRE (Reliability Engineer Grade 1) training for them to acquire qualifications.
For the quality improvement of our business partners, we conducted 8 sessions of quality training for those in charge of quality, and a total of 132 persons completed the whole course.
We are planning to do all we can to strengthen internal and external quality capabilities through the operation of continuous training programs in the future.
Quality Management System
Quality Management System
Coway has established and been implementing quality management principles to continuously improve product safety and performance. From the R&D stage to the use and disposal of products, we are inspecting reliability, safety and environment performance. In addition, we are striving to achieve customer satisfaction by securing product performance safety factors, minimizing certification risks, and endeavoring to optimize quality standards from the viewpoint of customers and user environment.
Quality Management Exclusive Organization
Coway has formed and been operating a quality management headquarters dedicated to quality innovation so as to improve customer trust and meet expectations regarding the quality of products and parts. The quality management headquarters carries out quality management activities and monitors potential quality issues that may arise from the process of developing products and from products that have already been sold to identify post-production quality issues and preemptively respond to such issues.
Organizational Chart of the Quality Management Department
Infinite Responsibility Committee
Coway operates the ‘Infinite Responsibility Committee’ to provide customers with better quality products and services. The Infinite Responsibility Committee is attended by the CEO and core executives from our business organizations to share quality issue agendas. The issues discussed at the Committee are grafted onto the company-wide processes to promptly address quality issues.
Quality Management Certification and Verification
Coway conducts an internal audit every year based on ISO9001, a global standard certification, and receives *QCAS-based evaluations from external experts through its challenge of becoming a 'Company with Excellent Quality Competitiveness'. Through these internal audits and evaluations from external experts, we identify what needs to be improved, make such improvements and provide the highest level of products to our customers.
* QCAS : Quality Competitiveness Assessment System
Selected as an ‘Excellent Company with Product Quality Competitiveness’ at the 49th National Quality Management Competition in 2023.
In recognition of Coway‘s efforts to drastically reduce the defect rate through a total sample inspection at the stage of verifying developed products, we were selected as the 11th company with excellent quality competitiveness at the 49th National Quality Management Competition in 2023. In the past, each of the organizations in charge of development, quality, and production conducted a separate sampling inspection on its own. However, starting from this year, we introduced a company-wide integrated verification system that integrates and operates verification capabilities of the three organizations and conducts thorough inspections of all developed products. Through this, we standardized verification methods and norms as to each of the parts and performances and improved product quality by reducing sample errors.
Quality Management Activities
Quality Management Programs
Coway operates various quality management programs to provide high-quality products and services. In order to prevent defects related with durability and performance of products and parts, which may occur depending on the period of time for which they were used by customers, we conduct mass-production reliability tests periodically and improve quality. In addition, we use out IoT platform to ascertain customers‘usage environments and patterns and reflect them in reliability test methods. And we also conduct defect-linkage analyses for the improvement of quality and the development of new products. When developing new products, we strive to improve the quality of products and the level of safety by verifying and enhancing quality from the perspective of customers through the ‘Quality Expert Committee.’ And we identify major quality VOCs received through the ‘Quality VOC Committee’ so as to make improvements.
We carry out quality-improving activities quickly and accurately by operating an analysis center that analyzes and monitors major quality-related data, including AS returns and others, in real time on a daily basis.
When having a quality issue, we form an ‘emergency TFT’ to immediately improve and address it, thus increasing customer satisfaction.
By unifying major channels that receive quality VOCs that occur in the field, we hold regular consultative meetings and cooperate with relevant departments to promptly and accurately improve such issues and apply relevant improvements.
We select ‘Worst’ defects for each of the product groups and form an improvement TFT for each task to carry out improvement activities.
By managing the status of improvements through a computer system in real time, we shorten schedules. And we continuously improve quality by creating a database of failed cases.
We are increasing the quality level of products by operating a group made of experts in design, manufacturing, service, and customer from the stage of developing new products and are implementing quality verification of new products from the viewpoint of customers in order to enhance the quality level of such products.
Quality Failure Prevention Program
Integrated Certification System Operation
Coway has established a management system to verify and prevent certification risks in all areas from the product planning stage to follow-up management through the operation of an integrated certification system (ICM/CICS), a real-time system for the management of certification status. And we are securing product safety and performance reliability based on thorough follow-up management and monitoring process to be prepared for certification issues at home and abroad.
Integrated Certification System Process
* ICM : Integrated Certification Management
** CICS : Coway Integrated Certification System
Operation of Internationally certified Testing Labs and Certification
By operating a total of 12 internationally certified testing labs, Coway is swiftly responding to rapidly-changing safety trends and certification regulations at home and abroad to beef up its competitiveness and contribute to the development of sustainable products. In 2023, we additionally acquired the Canadian Standards Association Electrical Safety Testing Laboratory and the California Energy Commission Testing Laboratory, getting international recognition that our facility environments and testing capabilities meet international standards.
Operation of Accredited Testing Labs
By operating a total of 12 internationally certified testing labs, we are able to conduct tests on KC certification, energy efficiency, European CE certification, etc. on our own.
* CSA : Canadian Standards Association
** ERP : Energy related Product
*** CEC : California Energy Commission
Coway Accredited Testing Lab Operation Status
Safety Verification System
With the goal of ‘Risk Zero’, Coway has introduced its own safety test standards that are stricter than other domestic and international standards for electrical and electromagnetic-wave safety and product performance, and we are verifying safety from the stage of designing products. We are also conducting cross verifications through external testing laboratories. In 2023, Coway conducted safety verifications on a total of 224 models, including 170 domestic models and 24 overseas models, and preemptively responded to revised matters regarding energy-consumption efficiency notice for 73 models in order to increase energy efficiency and minimize environmental impacts.
Safety Verification System Process
01Preliminary safety/performance design verification
From the time the product was first developed, we verify whether usability, safety and performance were sufficiently secured. Introducing Coway‘s own safety test standards beyond regulatory requirements02Verifying safety of electrical and electromagnetic waves of developed products and their performance
Verifying whether domestic and international regulatory requirements of safety are met (using Coway‘s own internationally-certified testing labs) Verifying whether product performance standards and requirements are met Conducting cross verifications through external accredited testing agencies03Verifying the effectiveness of parts
Verifying the effectiveness regarding the safety (certification) of parts used for products04Verifying mass production
Periodic sampling of mass-produced products and re-verifying them through Coway‘s own accredited testing labs Operating a process of reviewing and improving the product safety management system of each production factoryStatus of Verifying the Safety of Coway‘s Mass-produced Products
SSM Establishment and Operation
By observing the phenomenon of repeated failure cases in the process of developing products from a knowledge delivery life cycle perspective, Coway strives to discover systemic issues and operational issues. We also work hard to improve design quality through the knowledge structuring (*SSM) management of failure cases.
* SSM (Stress Strength Method): A Knowledge System of Structures’ Knowledge about Failures/Defects Based on Causal Chains
Process of Handling Customer Complaints
* Complaints about products/ services/ operations can be filed through Coway‘s Ethical (Jeong-Do) Management Center (https://company.coway.com). By operating the process of handling customer complaints, Coway is swiftly responding to customer complaints. And we analyze quality issues received from customers to come up with and monitor improvement measures.
Out of all complaints, simple inquiries regarding products and services are submitted to the customer center.
Strengthening Quality Management
Coway is conducting training every year to improve internal quality capabilities and acquire related expertise. In 2023, we conducted a reliability and failure analysis seminar for those in charge of quality and reliability and also provided PRE (Reliability Engineer Grade 1) training for them to acquire qualifications. For the quality improvement of our business partners, we conducted 8 sessions of quality training for those in charge of quality, and a total of 132 persons completed the whole course. We are planning to do all we can to strengthen internal and external quality capabilities through the operation of continuous training programs in the future.