Olympus 2015 Annual Report Download - page 31

Olympus CSR
INnovation 3 Delivering Innovative Value 4 Working Environments with Vitality
INtegrity 1 Adherence to High Ethical Standards 2 Respect for Human Rights
Olympus Products Help Society—The Underlying
Power of Training Programs in Manufacturing
Olympus contributes to society through its three business domains—medical,
scientic solutions, and imaging—by producing a range of products including
endoscopes used for gastrointestinal examinations and treatment, biological mi-
croscopes indispensable for leading-edge scientic research, and digital cameras
that enrich people’s lives through photography. Such products are created using
advanced manufacturing technologies unique to Olympus and the many human
resources who support and operate this technology.
Practicing Stringent Compliance Suited to a Global Company
Our goal is to meet the expectations and demands of society and to demonstrate
our “integrity in society.”
“INtegrity” (integrity in society) is one of the three INs that make up “Social IN,”
the corporate philosophy presented by the Olympus Group. “INtegrity,” the term
presented by the new organizational structure that was established in April 2012,
is to be employed in the revision of Olympus’ Corporate Conduct Charter and
Code of Ethics. The Company believes that it must realize the importance of this
principle in exploring its policy direction. A particularly important application of
INtegrity in actual practice is compliance. Olympus has focused great attention
on reinforcing compliance as a top priority issue.
Global Compliance Promotion Structure and Our Initiative
Since the first Global Compliance Meeting was held in May 2012, the Committee met a total of 14 times as of June 2015.
The policies and measures issued and confirmed by the Committee have been implemented in line with each regional orga-
nization, and compliance efforts are being promoted under each Regional Compliance Officer (RCO).
Skill Dojo to Accelerate Skill Acquisition and
Develop Factory Technicians
In each of our factories, we plan and
create training programs as required to
suit the different level of skills of the tech-
nicians and the types of work carried out
in the factory. Skill Dojo (Skill School) is a
training program specializing in the skills
required in different workplaces. In the Skill Dojo, Advanced Techni-
cians play the role of Dojo-nushi (school master), Shihan (lecturer),
and Shihandai (assistant lecturer) and pass skills person-to-person
to trainees. The individuals’ skills improvement at Skill Dojo also
maintains the skill level in each workplace.
Aiming to Become an Advanced Technician from
a General Technician
An Advanced Technician is required to have a wide and deep man-
ufacturing knowledge. They are expected not only to continue to
refine their acquired skills but also to have the ability to adapt to
more complex work—such as a new product startup or process
design for prototype production. Good communication skills and
instructional abilities are also essential as they are responsible for
training the next generation to ensure that skills are passed down
for the future.
Olympus trains such Advanced Technicians by (1) internal and
external qualification systems, (2) participation in Companywide skill
competitions and the National Skills Grand Prix, and (3) providing
external training courses.
Our region, including Europe, the Middle
East, and Africa, is a complex one with
diverse cultures and languages, and each
has different local legislative requirements.
To have a compliance management system
that is cohesive and efficient, we have intro-
duced a matrix-style management approach
that includes the appointment of dedicated
sub-regional compliance managers and
investment in IT infrastructure.
Over the past few years, it has been very
rewarding to see the way the diverse com-
panies of Olympus have worked together to
build a more unified culture of integrity
throughout the world. There have been
many positive changes in governance,
communications, business methods, and
management process. On a global scale,
by cultivating integrity with patience and
grit, Olympus has created many benefits
forour employees, investors, and society
asa whole.
Through our compliance activities in the
Asia and Pacific region, a very strong mes-
sage has been sent to our customers, and
it acts as further assurance of our striving
for excellence. Accordingly, we have been
setting up a new compliance structure and
have been putting huge efforts into imple-
menting new rules, policies, and guidelines.
As business in our region is growing very
rapidly, we plan to provide more training
and education to our employees.
We have worked to maintain and improve
compliance in each region based on
common schemes through the development
of our Global Compliance Management
System (GCMS) and the plan–do–check–act
(PDCA) cycle process. Self-assessment and
monitoring results show that improvements
are being made. In Japan, we are progress-
ing steadily through the Compliance Promo-
tion Committee.
Features of Olympus Manufacturing
Olympus manufacturing features “high precision & extreme
compactness” and “high-mix, low-volume” production. For
example, the smaller range of endoscopic lenses need to
be polished with micrometer (1/1,000 mm) accuracy. The
technologies that produce such high-precision components,
as well as stably securing both optical and mechanical
quality, enable Olympus to create extremely compact and
precisely engineered products. These products are also
produced in a high-mix and low-volume manner. In other
words, although there may be a variety of models and
combinations, the number produced can still be as small
as only several per year.
Such “high precision & extreme compactness” and
“high-mix, low-volume” production, which cannot easily
be automated, are supported by our technicians and their
advanced manufacturing skills.
Manufacturing Technicians Training Program
Olympus regards manufacturing technicians as an important
source of our added value. The skills of such technicians
arecategorized into six levels and staff are encouraged to
improve their skill level in a planned manner. We group the
technicians with skills of level 1 to 3 into “General Technicians”
and those with skills of level 4 or greater as “Advanced
Technicians.” Advanced Technicians are certified as a
Manufacturing Advisor (MA) at level 4, Manufacturing
Supervisor (MS) at level 5, and Manufacturing Master (MM)
at the final level 6. Training is given according to each level,
from newly joining staff members to MM technicians.
Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
Case Study 1 Case Study 2
Asia
Americas
Japan
WEB Delivering Innovative Value / Working Environments with Vitality (INnovation):
http://www.olympus-global.com/en/csr/innovation/
WEB Integrity in Society / Respect for Human Rights (INtegrity):
http://www.olympus-global.com/en/csr/integrity/
Messages from the Regional Compliance Officers
Case Studies
59
OLYMPUS Annual Report 2015
58 OLYMPUS Annual Report 2015
Foundations Necessary for Growth
Olympus Europa SE &
Co. KG
John Rowe
Olympus Corporation of
the Americas
Kevin J. Dill
Masahito Kitamura
Chief Compliance Officer (CCO)
Executive Officer
Olympus Corporation of
Asia Pacific Limited
Noboru Takagi
Olympus Corporation
Masashi Tanaka