AKEBONO REPORT 2015

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Akebono Products Garner Praise around the Worldfor Their QualityN ABC’s Brake Pad Wins the Best Overall ImportAftermarket Product Award at AAPEXProduced by Akebono Brake Corporation (ABC) the EURO?Ultra-Premium ceramic disc brake pad was chosen to bear the titleof the Best Overall Import Aftermarket Product at the AAPEXshow North America’s largest international exhibition for automotiveaftermarket products for its functionality superior quality andspecifications finely tuned for European vehicles.N Akebono Receives the Toyota Quality AllianceGold Award in North AmericaOur aftermarket sales team in North America received the ToyotaQuality Alliance Gold Award from Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc.in recognition of its contributions to the release of a new productin the Genuine Toyota Brake Pad (MVP) II line as well as marketingactivities for this line. We believe that this commendation is atestament to the success of our concertedefforts with sales developmentand manufacturing departmentsin North America as well as those atAi-City headquarters collaborating towin customer trust. Receiving thisaward for the second time since2012 Akebono has become theexclusive supplier of the GenuineToyota Brake Pad (MVP) II line.With Our CustomersPursuing Superior Quality to Satisfy Customer NeedsWith “customer needs first” as a corporate goal we are striving to provide satisfaction worldwide through our unique manufacturing technologies.Earthquake SimulationsWell before the Great East Japan Earthquake Akebono and itssuppliers carried out periodic earthquake simulations to ensure thesafety of associates and their families provide assistance to disasterstrickencommunities and maintain a stable supply of brakes.In fiscal 2014 the Company conducted a simulation drill thatassumed that its manufacturing sites were hit by an earthquakecentered in Yamagata Prefecture with an intensity registering ahigh six on the Japanese seismic scale. This drill was the eighth ofthis kind. By assuming a different seismic center and scenario foreach occasion the Company is striving to ensure solid emergencyresponsiveness at each domestic business location. Moreover thedrills are intended to establish a robust structure capable oflaunching full-scale assistance for local communities in the immediatewake of a disaster. To that end efforts are now under wayto upgrade simulations to include drills aimed at testing Ai-Cityheadquarters’ crisis management system.Our Mobile Brake Technology Educational CenterEmploying the “Mobile Brake Technology Educational Center ” avehicle specially designed to display braking mechanisms in aneasy to understand way representatives of Akebono’s aftermarketsales section visit auto dealers and automobile repair shopsnationwide to teach car salesman and auto mechanics about thestructure and features of Akebono brakes and give them tips onbrake maintenance. More than 200 training sessions are held eachyear and attendees’ feedback and comments are later reflected inproduct development. We are confident that this initiative is helpingto make driving safer by promoting optimal brake maintenancewhile at the same time promoting the Akebono brand.With the aim of promoting its corporate branding initiative the Akebono Group’s principal bases nationwide haveobtained and are maintaining the ISO/TS 16949 qualitymanagement system certifications introduced by automotivemanufacturers overseas. In addition efforts are now underway to acquire the ISO 26262 certification with regard toautomotive electronic and electrical safety-related systems.Quality Management Systems(ISO/TS 16949 and ISO 26262)