ESPEC Quality is more than a word

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Increasing Customer Satisfaction
and Product Quality/Safety

Product and Service Quality Assurance

Quality Policy

We provide environmental testing devices used by our customers in their QA(QUALITY ASSURANCE) activities. As such, the quality of our products is directly linked to the quality of their products, and we feel that this heavy responsibility represents why we are in business. Based on our basic philosophy to “provide more reliable products and services that allow our customers to safely, comfortably, and surely fulfill the mission,” we at ESPEC work towards creating high-quality products that meet the expectations of our global customers.

Quality Assurance System

We have established a unique system we called EQA (ESPEC QUALITY ASSURANCE) in Japan and overseas.
In 1993, we were also assessed for and obtained the ISO 9001 (international standard of quality management) certification ahead of the competition. Following that, we completed ISO certification update in 2015, and we have been continuously improving our quality assurance system.

QC circle activities

ESPEC engages in QC circle activities focused on frontlines production sites. Our policy is to “use QC circle activities to achieve targets and resolve problems and issues,” and in FY 2023, there were 35 circles that engaged in improvement activities on a variety of topics. These efforts produced a high level of results including quality improvements, cost reductions, and operational efficiency improvements while also contributing to personnel training.

Improving Customer Satisfaction

New testing laboratory focused on automotive batteries planned for Aichi Prefecture

Located in Tokoname City, Aichi Prefecture, the “Aichi Next-Generation Mobility Test Lab” (Aichi Battery Safety Testing Center) will be a new laboratory testing service site for safety testing on cutting-edge automotive batteries. Scheduled to open in February 2025, this new testing facility will consist of three concrete-structure safety testing areas, a drive-in chamber large enough for one vehicle, and other cutting-edge facilities to serve the growing need for safety testing and certification testing for automotive batteries.

World’s first All Weather Simulation Chamber

Our All Weather Simulation Chamber, the world’s fist facility that can recreate various weather environments found around the globe, is located at the Kobe R&D Center. In additions to all kinds of environmental factors (temperature, humidity, snow, fog, rain, light, wind), it can also create dynamic weather environments, for example sleet turning to snow. The facility is open to external parties to help promote open innovation.

All Weather Simulation Chamber (snowfall test)

The 4 Promises of our After-sales Service System for Safety and Security

So that customers can use our products with complete peace of mind, we provide after-sales service based on the following 4 Promises.

1.Fast service

In Japan, we operate a full-time technical support system that is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for a rapid response in case of emergency.

2.Preventive maintenance plans

ESPEC offers an extensive range of preventive maintenance options so that customers can be confident in using our products over extended periods.

3.Long-term maintenance system

We have created a system that can supply maintenance parts for a period of up to 15 years, providing long-term support for our customers’ environmental test chambers.

4.Safety system proposals

We provide peripheral equipment that can minimize damage in the event of an earthquake or other disaster.

Added network functionality in standard maintenance contract services

In September 2023, we added mobile device/cloud network functionality to our maintenance contract services as a standard menu item. With network functions, it is possible to monitor and control chamber operating conditions even from a remote office or home. When an error occurs in a chamber, the customer is notified by email and at the same time ESPEC also detects the error and provides support for rapid chamber recovery by means such as remote diagnosis. Renting a mobile communications terminal that includes a SIM eliminates the need to connect to the customer’s company network, perform LAN installation work, and other similar work. We save our customers the hassle of chamber management through digital transformation of chamber management tasks and preventive maintenance service (annual inspection and replacement of worn parts) to ensure reliable chamber operation and fixed repair fees.

Supporting worksites through comprehensive on-site maintenance service

We offer comprehensive on-site maintenance services to support our customers throughout the lifecycle of their environmental test chambers, from installation to disposal, including installation of peripheral equipment, product recycling through the wide-area certification system, and CFC recovery, as well as maintenance of the chambers. We make chamber management easier for our customers and help optimize their maintenance and operating costs.

After-sales service certification system

We have introduced a new after-sales service certification system based on global common evaluation standards in order to train service engineers equipped with advanced specialized technical skills. It can be used not only by ESPEC service engineers but also by service engineers at distributors and cooperating companies in order to standardize and improve the level of service. The system grants three levels of certification based on skills, technical abilities, and official certifications.

Customer Support Desk

We have set up the Customer Support Desk as a system that provides one-stop solutions for issues arising in all types of scenes, from product purchasing to product disposal. It allows us to directly respond to a range of customer inquiries. In addition to expanding the information available on our website, we also conduct regular internal training on proper phone service and product knowledge, so we can keep improving the quality of our customer response.

Customer satisfaction survey

In October 2023, we conducted a customer satisfaction survey regarding ESPEC equipment, services, customer service, and other topics, receiving a total of 360 responses. We are putting the results of this survey to use in measures aimed at further improving customer satisfaction.

Held sponsored lecture at xEV Testing Initiative

In October 2023, we held a lecture at xEV Testing Initiative, Japan’s only business conference on the quality, safety, and reliability of electric vehicles. Sponsored by ESPEC, the conference is organized by the Steering Committee for xEV Testing Technology, which is vice-chaired by Noboru Sato, Executive Advisor to ESPEC and a visiting professor at the Institute of Innovation for Future Society of Nagoya University. This lecture covered recent trends in testing with a focus on drive components and batteries that are the key modules of motorization.

ESPEC Reliability Seminar

The ESPEC Reliability Seminar is a means of providing useful information about reliability testing to customers. In FY 2023, the seminar was held online and was attended by approximately 260 customers.
We transitioned from a traditional in-person event to a webinar event in order to support a larger audience of customers.
In FY 2023, we conducted three lectures based on the theme of “Addressing Thermal Design Challenges for Electronic Devices and the Latest Trends in Semiconductors,” which were attended by approximately 260 people.

Website for engineers, "Test Navi"

We have developed a website specializedin information on reliability technology for engineers called "Test Navi."It gives customers helpful information in practice settings, such as environmental testing knowledge, basic information on reliability technology, and the latest testing trends, at the appropriate timing. The number of members registered with "Test Navi" currently exceeds 23,000.