Kobe Steel admits falsifying data on aluminium and copper parts

TOKYO: Kobe Steel Co Ltd said yesterday it had falsified data related to strength and durability of some aluminium and copper parts products to make them look as if they met client quality standards.

Japan’s third-biggest steelmaker said the products were delivered to more than 200 companies but did not disclose specific customer names.

The Nikkei earlier reported online that products using falsified data were delivered to firms including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd’s regional jet unit and carmakers.

Kobe Steel said it discovered the data falsification in inspections it conducted on products shipped from September last year through August this year, adding that there had not been any reports of safety issues.

The affected products account for about four per cent of its shipments of aluminium parts, copper parts and aluminium castings and forgings.

The company said it was still ascertaining the impact on earnings and that it had established a committee on quality issues.

Kobe Steel’s aluminium and copper operations, which also includes products such as sheets, plates and tubes, account for about 20 per cent of its total sales.

Shinko Wire Co, a Kobe Steel affiliate, in June last year said a unit had misstated data on tensile strength of stainless steel wires for springs and that it had supplied customers with alloy that failed to meet Japanese industrial standards.

In other Japanese product-related cases, Takata Corp pleaded guilty in the United States in February to misleading carmakers about the safety of its exploding airbags. Bloomberg