Customers
Taking on monozukuri challenges in order to win the trust of customers
NSG Group Values its Customers
As a glass manufacturer trusted by a broad range of customers, the NSG Group regards improvements in product quality and production technologies as key objectives. The Group's customers include construction and building material manufacturers, automobile manufacturers, sales agents and individual consumers. Glass and glazing products have become irreplaceable materials in people's lives. They are increasingly required to meet a wide range of environmental and safety functions, as well as enhancing the living and working environments of end consumers.
The Group continues to make progress in reducing the environmental impact of glass manufacturing, whilst also addressing the issues of waste and recycling throughout the supply chain. To this end, the NSG Group has implemented in Japan its proprietary Manufacturing Innovation Program, covering such fields as quality control, while nurturing a team of highly skilled engineers at its Gijyutsu Dojyo (in-house technical school) .
In the Building Products business, the Group's Customer Center is working constantly to improve the quality of its customer service. The Center handles approximately 30,000 customer inquiry calls a year.
Pilkington's Automotive business is working continually to upgrade its product and service quality through the utilization of its unique quality management system. The Building Products business offers a wide range of Pilkington-branded products that comply with the (EU) European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.
Sixty per cent of the inquiries received at the Customer Center are technical questions from professional glass users, and 40 per cent from consumers asking about product characteristics and how and where to purchase double-glazed glass products.
phone number:0120-498-023
Customer Center
The Pursuit of Customer Satisfaction
Improving customer satisfaction significantly depends on the timely supply of glass products. The Logistics Department, which is responsible in Japan for the distribution of NSG Group products, is leading the optimization of the Group-wide distribution platform by further sharpening the Group's competitive edge through logistics innovation efforts.
The Logistics Department and NSG Kanto Co., Ltd. launched a joint effort to improve customer satisfaction in fiscal 2006. The project involved the tracking of order delivery status using mobile phones equipped with a global positioning system (GPS). The Japan Institute of Logistics Systems (JILS) acknowledged this joint effort with a prize at the 23rd Logistics Grand Prize Awards ceremony in fiscal 2007. This Award, established with the aim of supporting the development of logistics in society and raising the consciousness of those involved in the field of logistics, recognizes outstanding achievements in the area of logistics promotion.
Members of the Logistics Department and NSG Kanto's Operation Department were delighted to receive a prize at the 23rd Logistics Grand Prize Awards ceremony
Taking a Lead in Quality
Glass is a key automotive component, and vehicle manufacturers demand the highest quality products for their vehicles. Against this background, in May 2007, Pilkington Automotive's Sandomierz plant in Poland was presented with the Ford Q1 Award by Ford Motor Company. The Q1 Quality Award system is Ford's proprietary quality control program, and Ford, based on this program, assesses its suppliers' quality control systems. The receipt of the award represents Ford's high evaluation of the NSG Group's quality control standards. Aiming to take the lead in quality control, the NSG Group will continue to implement improvement measures.
The plant at Sandomierz, Poland is one of three of the Group's Automotive plants to have achieved Ford's Q1 Quality Standard
Master technician in float glass manufacture recognized
Mr. Tadao Imai, Chief Technician in float glass manufacturing at the Group's Chiba Plant, received a prize at the 40th Ceramic Prize Awards ceremony hosted by the Ceramic Society of Japan. Through this award, the Society honors the long-term contribution of excellent technicians to the development of the ceramics industry, which includes glass and other materials. Mr. Imai was presented with the prize for his achievements in educating young Japanese technicians, as well as in supporting technicians overseas to acquire float glass technologies.
The NSG Group currently owns or has interests in 51 float lines worldwide, manufacturing 6,400,000 tons of flat glass every year. Mr.Imai and other master technicians who operate the Company's production lines have made the manufacture of NSG Group's high-quality glass possible.
Mr.Imai (Chief Technician, Manufacturing, Chiba Plant) at the Ceramic Prize Awards ceremony (left)
