To maximize our customers’ satisfaction, Gigaphoton has developed the following three activities and is working to improve laser reliability:

• Set market quality indicators
• Refine the quality assurance system
• Improve product quality

Set Market Quality Indicators

Gigaphoton believes that the reliability of its lasers is a yardstick for measuring the users’ level of satisfaction and demand for quality. Gigaphoton firmly believes that it can contribute to greater customer productivity and increase profits by improving laser reliability and availability. To this end, Gigaphoton has adopted market reliability indicators, namely, reliability measures (MTBI and MTBF) and availability as indicators of users’ level of satisfaction and their demand for quality.

Refine the Quality Assurance System

To infuse quality into products at the development, prototype, or mass-production preparation stage, Gigaphoton believes the high yield at the outset of mass production, the shortening of the manufacturing cycle and reduction of costs, the constant prevention of nonconformities, and the achievement of greater reliability in the field are critical. Gigaphoton strives to achieve the tireless improvement of designs and processes by having all concerned divisions, from Development, Manufacturing, Marketing, Customer Service (CS), and Quality Assurance, participate in, and confirm and examine, productivity and quality.

Improve Product Quality

The Manufacturing Division at Gigaphoton advances both top-down and bottom-up Kaizen activities and endeavors to achieve perfect quality assurance so that we are able to supply our customers with the best-quality lasers in the world.
Excimer lasers are also assembled from components supplied by many of our suppliers. Naturally, the components supplied by the suppliers must be of the best quality in order to improve the quality of our lasers. Gigaphoton shares quality improvement targets with our suppliers, cooperates to reach these targets, and aims to establish a quality assurance system that spans the entire supply chain.

In order to efficiently execute these three activities, Gigaphoton has created a roadmap for improving the market quality indicators, and the state of achieving these goals is constantly being monitored and shared by the Marketing, Sales, Development, Manufacturing, and CS Divisions. To improve these indicators, Gigaphoton has implemented a four-step cycle to be constantly repeated—Plan, Do, Check, and Act (the PDCA Cycle). As a measure for improving reliability, all divisions within the company unite together to advance quality assurance activities in order to improve and maintain the PDCA Cycle levels. These activities have been positioned as company-wide activities, and Gigaphoton executes the Cycle every day.