Three Chinese companies are the main force in the case of the steel manufacturing fraud in Kobe Steel

The earthquake caused by Kobe Steel was further expanded and even the Japanese government acknowledged that “the problem is wider than expected”.

Now, the Japanese company has discovered that five kinds of products have been sold without meeting customer specifications. According to the Kobe Steel Institute, the number of companies affected by its product problems has reached about 500, exceeding the 200 previously announced.

At the beginning of the incident, Kobe Steel stated that there was evidence of fabrication of quality data in shipments of aluminum and copper, some of which had been used in the hoods and doors of automobiles manufactured in Japan.

At present, the company discovered that more products with quality problems were issued, the most important being steel products. This scandal is getting bigger and bigger like a snowball.

At the end of August, Kobe Steel found that its subsidiaries had changed some of its aluminum and copper product data for a long period of time, and sold the product afterwards. The initial data was about 19,300 tons of aluminum, 2,200 tons of copper, and 19,400 units of cast aluminum. However, more and more incidents were exposed, adding 140 tons of iron powder and more than 6,600 units of alloy materials used in the production of LCD screens. On the 13th, Kobe Steel reconfirmed that there were 9 products including copper alloy tubes and steel wire rods. Fake technical data.

As all parties involved in the Kobe Steel and Japanese manufacturing crusade, the story has shown new twists and turns.

According to overseas media reports, during the Kobe Steel scandal, the disclosure of three Chinese companies was the main producer involved in data fraud.

According to the media, Kobe Steel has five companies in China. There are three factories involved in the fraud data. They are Suzhou Shengang Electronic Material Co., Ltd., Jiangyin Farr Shengtian Spring Line Co., Ltd., and Kobelco New Spring Steel Wire (Foshan) Co., Ltd. All three companies produced the main products of Kobelco, but other factories also use these fake data products, which account for about 40% of the sales of steel products.

This is the first time that Chinese companies have been involved in this. It is still necessary to wait for the truth of the matter. Chinese companies mentioned by the media have not yet officially responded.

However, what is certain is that as the scope of the problems spreads, the automotive industry is increasingly affected. In addition to the Japanese domestic brands, General Motors, Ford, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Hyundai, and Kia were involved. If the problem is serious enough to trigger a major earthquake in the automotive industry.

It is reported that auto giants such as Toyota and Nissan have begun additional investigations into the safety of auto parts using products from Kobe Steel. This is due to the fact that the violating products that have been exposed to such data as antimony modification data have been expanded to the steel products that are the main raw materials for automobiles in addition to the previously announced aluminum and copper. Violations were carried out in an organized manner by the person in charge of quality assurance, such as personal involvement. The nature of the violation was very bad. Hitachi Ltd. announced that if railroad trains need to replace parts and components, they will ask for cost policies, and the demand for loss of Kobe Steel will increase.

A senior car manufacturer’s senior manager said, “If it is used on an engine or a transmission, its impact is worrying.” Another manufacturer’s top executive said “The terrible thing is that the whole picture has not yet been clearly understood” and points out vehicles that use Kobe steel materials. It is very difficult to conduct safety assessments.

In a series of violations, the person responsible for the quality assurance of the product quality before the shipment is confirmed at the production site also personally participates in data modification. The director level is also defaulted. Overseas offices such as China and Thailand have also found that rewriting data and failing to implement inspections have caused a large number of suspected violations to spread within the company. JR West Japan also stated that it will request Kobe Steel to bear the related expenses.

Anxieties also spread among the approximately 6,000 domestic customers of Kobe Steel. These customers are involved in many fields such as the automotive industry and the motor industry. According to the Imperial Database, there are many local companies in Hyogo Prefecture (997) and Hiroshima Prefecture (243). The person in charge of the public relations department of giant auto parts company, who used the problem product for automotive air-conditioners, said that "because many customers have to investigate whether or not they also include overseas companies," they are struggling to deal with it.