Challenges
- Improving product quality
- Increasing customer satisfaction
- Visualizing manufacturing quality using MES
- Creating an RFID system to ensure traceability
- Promoting improved awareness of tire safety
Relevant stakeholders
Direct:Customers (consumers), suppliers, employees, research bodies
Indirect:Shareholders and investors, creditors, local communities, NGOs, industry groups
Our policy
Our principle for manufacturing is to provide high-quality and safe products and services that are useful to society, and our fundamental philosophy and action guidelines for product safety are set forth in the Toyo Tire Group Global Product Safety Policy. The policy details our commitment to focusing on product safety and environmental protection in every step of the value chain, from product planning, development and design to production, sales, use and end of product life.
We operate a product quality management system based on IATF 16949 (or ISO 9001 at some production bases) to take measures against risk.
Global Product Safety Policy
1. Fundamental Philosophy
As a responsible global company, we will promote sustainable management through our corporate activities to further enhance economic, environmental and social value.
We continue to strive and contribute to the creation of sustainable society as global environment protection first, which is put not only safe but also human health harmless.
2. Code of Conduct
- 1. As a company aiming for sustainable growth by creating a better symbiotic relationship between people and the earth, we provide environmentally friendly, safe and reliable products and services to our customers and society.
- 2. To assure the safety of products, we comply with the necessary internal and external rules, laws, regulations, standards and guidelines. We aim to develop products with a higher level of safety and lower environmental impact.
- 3. We consider product safety and global environment protection from the stages of product planning, development and design, through to production, sales, use, and even after the end of use.
- 4. We aim to manufacture without the production loss from the product planning, development, and design stages.
- 5. We consider recycling in the product planning, development, and design stages.
- 6. We conduct education and awareness-raising concerning every employee layer regarding product safety and environmental protection.
- 7. We well-inform and educate customers about methods of suitable use for products and misuse prevention. And we listen earnestly to their opinions and desires, and reflect them in our products. Thus, we will provide the safe and health-friendly products, and promote the global environmental protection.
Quality management system status
ISO 9001 certification (as of the end of May 2026)
Production facilities: 12 sites (3 Toyo Tire Corporation sites*1, 9 affiliated company sites)
Sales bases (affiliated companies): 1 site
- *1 The Kuwana Plant has independently acquired certification at two sites: its tire production plant and automobile parts plant.
IATF 16949 (formerly ISO/TS 16949) certification (as of the end of March 2026)
Production facilities: 8 sites (3 Toyo Tire Corporation sites, 5 affiliated company sites)
Responsible executives (as of April 2026)
- R&D: Director, Senior Corporate Officer and Vice President of R&D Headquarters
- Production Technology: Senior Corporate Officer and Vice President of Production Headquarters
- Products and services: Director, Corporate Officer and Vice President of Sales Headquarters
- Quality assurance: Senior Corporate Officer and Vice President of Quality Assurance, Environment & Safety Headquarters
Organizational responsibilities (as of April 2026)
Quality Assurance, Environment & Safety Headquarters is responsible for promoting initiatives in this area, and reports progress to the Sustainability Committee.
Reporting systems
- Reporting hotline (whistle-blowing system): For executives, employees and suppliers
- Customer Relations Department: For customers (consumers) and local communities
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Online inquiry form: For customers (consumers), shareholders and investors, and NGOs
In addition to the above routes, our technical service departments, Group sales companies and distributors also receive inquiries and complaints.
Improving product quality
Improving the development & production process
In manufacturing, we believe it important to achieve greater quality in upstream business processes. We aim to not only raise the quality of the products and services we introduce to the market, but also that of the development and production process itself. For our Group’s newly developed products, the Quality Assurance Division checks the design reviews that are performed at each step, from product planning to the production preparation stage, to ensure that reliable quality is designed in from the start.
At our Tire Technical Center, we are implementing robotic process automation (RPA) software that automatically processes routine tasks. Through this, we aim to see how it improves operational efficiency by preventing potential risks in the course of business, such as human errors and fraud.
Meeting the quality standards of each country
We are aiming to strengthen our own quality standards throughout the Group in order to fully comply with the increasingly complex quality-related laws in each country — such as environmental performance and quality legislation promoting vehicle fuel efficiency improvements and reduced CO2emissions, being rapidly introduced in the face of rising climate change risks. Once per year in each of our tire and automotive parts divisions, we hold Global Quality Management Committee(Global QMC) led by those in charge of quality assurance and other relevant employees at our production sites in and outside of Japan. At these meetings, participants share information on initiatives to improve quality assurance levels and processes at their respective sites. They also discuss a range of topics beyond quality improvement activities, including strengthening process assurance as the cornerstone of quality management, tire-related regulatory trends, market trends, customer satisfaction, and quality training. These meetings serve to strengthen the solidarity between our sites around the world.
The four sites for Group tire testing and evaluation in Japan received ISO/IEC17025 certification (general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories) for the first time in 2013, and have since been improving test accuracy and confidence to continuously conduct tests that conform to standard requirements.
Global QMC participants from our tire business (left) and our automotive parts business (right)
Conference scene
ISO/IEC17025 Certificate of Accreditation
Example efforts to meet quality standards
- Collecting information locally
- Making recommendations by participating in industry groups
- Exchanging opinions with regulatory institutions
- Sharing information on the latest legal and regulatory trends
- Giving presentations on legal and regulatory matters
Improving service quality at sales companies
To ensure that all consumers can choose our products with confidence, peace of mind and satisfaction, our tire sales companies continuously work to strengthen employee customer service skills and the technical skills of technicians.
In Japan, Toyo Tire Japan Co., Ltd. and independent distributors conduct job-specific training to help staff achieve the service quality required for roles such as sales and service. For example, in sales training for truck and bus tire associates, participants focus on acquiring the skills to clearly and accurately convey product value to customers.
Going beyond simply teaching sales techniques, this training also emphasizes making appropriate recommendations for the safe use of tires and the importance of routine tire inspections, aiming to foster associates’ ability to prioritize customer safety and peace of mind.
Increasing customer satisfaction
Maintaining and improving quality and satisfaction
As a manufacturer, we understand that our products and services link us to both customers and society, and we are working to improve quality throughout the entire value chain. Our production bases are continuously searching for ways to maintain and improve product quality, while our technical service departments continuously investigate product satisfaction levels in the market and relay customer requests as feedback to planning, design and production departments. Our Customer Relations Department analyzes the opinions and inquiries received from customers (consumers) on a day-to-day basis and makes recommendations for improving products and services to relevant departments. All other workplaces also strive to provide services and improve the quality of our operations from a customer perspective. These activities reflect the spirit of our Company Philosophy of continuously improving our products and creating value for everyone we work with.
For example, for more than 50 years, we have held Quality Control (QC) circle activities to proactively raise quality control standards using employee insight from the frontlines. QC circles began at production sites and have now spread to sales divisions, with about 300 total circles currently running within the Group. Members bring with them their experience and knowledge in order to resolve problems, and work to improve quality by understanding current conditions, setting goals, developing activity plans and analyzing issues.
Each year we run a company-wide QC circle event where circle representatives from around the world visit our head office to present local initiatives for improving quality control and eliminating waste and loss in the workplace, with the aim of achieving a global information and learning exchange. Just as in 2024, the 2025 event took place between our head office and production bases around the world, with circle representatives from each base making online presentations that were assessed by a panel of judges in real time. Moving forward, we will continue supporting QC circles to further improve worksite autonomy and customer satisfaction.
Responding to feedback from consumers
Every piece of feedback that we receive from our customers is valuable and provides us with opportunities to understand their expectations for the Group and improve our products and services. In 2025, our Customer Relations Department received a total of 2,584 inquiries in Japan. We respond to phone and online contact from customers both accurately and simply.
We analyze the content of these inquiries and send the findings to relevant departments to improve the usability of our products and services. Such efforts have led to the development of the Open Country series, our popular line of SUV tires, and the improvement of the readability of our catalogues and websites.
We take complaints seriously, and work with the Group's sales divisions and technical service departments to ensure that issues are dealt with promptly and satisfactorily, and that the problem or complaint is resolved so that we can build a long-lasting positive relationship with the customer.
Visualizing manufacturing quality using Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
Visualizing manufacturing process quality data to improve processes
The Toyo Tire Group aims to build a quality assurance system that can predict and prevent issues from occurring in the manufacturing process. We have introduced automatic measuring instruments into the tire manufacturing process, and are launching a system that digitally collects and visualizes quality- and production-related information from production equipment. This will ensure quality in each manufacturing process, and make it possible to analyze and monitor collected data to detect changes in process trends.
We have been operating the manufacturing execution system (MES) at our Serbia Factory since 2024. We plan to expand its implementation to quality-related domains and analyze the results to introduce the system at other production bases. At the same time, we are also working to promote wider use of data through human resource development as well as by developing a data-driven corporate culture.
Panoramic view of the Serbia Factory
Creating an RFID*2system to ensure traceability
In May 2022, the Global Data Service Organization for Tires and Automotive Components (GDSO) was established as an international non-profit organization working to standardize and share tire data in the industry. The Toyo Tire Group joined the organization in 2025.
We have begun utilizing RFID to enhance our information management throughout the tire lifecycle, and are aiming to use the data we accumulate to offer high-value-added services such as retreading and maintenance through a solutions business in the future. We will continue to work on putting production infrastructure in place and exploring ways to utilize the tire data we collect.
- *2 Creating an RFID system to ensure traceability
Promoting improved awareness of tire safety
As a tire manufacturer with a key role in the mobility industry, we believe that the responsibility of companies that produce and sell tires extends beyond product development, manufacturing and sales to include protecting the safety of customers.
Through our Toyo Tires Drive Safe Project, we communicate the importance of safety to the public with initiatives such as tire safety awareness activities, safety awareness promotion in partnership with JATMA, and our Truck and Bus Tire Servicing Contest for Group technicians.
[TOPICS]Tire safety awareness activities in 2025
We believe that it is a duty of our Group as a manufacturer and a company committed to mobility to raise drivers’ awareness of the need for regular tire inspections to ensure their safety. We run campaigns to raise awareness of tire safety, highlighting the need for regular tire inspections, giving tips for driving in rain and promoting other safety-conscious practices.
In order to help drivers to understand the importance of maintaining tires in good condition, we have been running tire safety awareness campaign events across Japan since 2019 using a driving simulator with our proprietary software. In 2025, we worked with Itami City, where we are headquartered, to provide this experience to 2,742 people at 80 shopping centers, partner retail outlets and other locations around Japan. In the post-workshop questionnaire, 96% of respondents indicated that their awareness of tire safety has increased.
The driving simulator provides a realistic driving experience by recreating views from the driver’s seat as well as road noise and vibrations, which are all synched to inputs through the steering wheel and the accelerator and brake pedals, so that participants can experience how driving around a corner in rain feels when tires are worn, what the difference in braking distance is between tires with sufficient tread and those with worn tread, and what happens when a tire blowout occurs while driving. By giving drivers opportunities to experience these unfamiliar situations through simulation, we try to make them aware of the importance of keeping tires in optimal conditions.
We will continue using our driving simulator to further boost interest in tires and help make drivers aware of how to use them properly.
Tire safety awareness campaign events
[TOPICS] The 6th Truck and Bus Tire Servicing Contest
The Group’s tire sales subsidiaries and the Toyo Tire Shop Association place great importance on preventing wheel detachment accidents involving large vehicles — which have become a social issue — as well as on ensuring standardization of work procedures and improving the quality of replacement, inspection and after-sales service for truck and bus tires.
To this end, we hold the Truck and Bus Tire Servicing Contest for technicians engaged in tire replacement work.
This contest is an opportunity for technicians to compete in the accuracy and safety of their work, demonstrating the skills, safety awareness and service quality they have honed through their training and daily duties.
We have established training programs and a proprietary certification system aimed at improving technicians’ skills, and this contest also serves as an important opportunity to verify the results of these efforts in action. Based on their performance in the contest, technicians are certified as Service Experts, while the winners and runners-up are awarded the highest-level Service Master certification. The sixth edition held in 2025 was expanded to include the Toyo Tire Shop Association, and a record 15 participants selected from across Japan competed in technical skills.
This contest is also a way for technicians to reaffirm how their work contributes not only to the safety and peace of mind of customers but also to addressing social issues, improving job satisfaction and motivation.
Certified technicians
| Service Masters | 12 people |
| Service Experts | 9 people |
| Service Engineers | 113 people |
Truck and Bus Tire Servicing Contest
