Japan’s IHI plans to beef up product safety after faulty jet engine inspections

Japan’s IHI Corporation said Friday it plans to strengthen measures to boost safety of its products as it has been caught up in a scandal of improper engine parts inspections.

“We will ensure that preventive measures are conducted and make efforts to work as one to regain trust,” the company said.

IHI, a supplier of Boeing Co. and Airbus S.A.S., has admitted that more than 14,000 cases of improper inspections exited in the process of making jet engine parts dating back to 2009.

The improper inspections have involved uncertified staff such as trainees, or have not been conducted by inspectors whose names were recorded in documents, according to the Tokyo-based company.

The corporation said it plans to finish recalling two engines and 58 parts by the end of May in order to prevent possible problems from occurring when they are used for a long time.

IHI has submitted preventive measures to the transport ministry, including plans to hold dialogue meetings on safety measures regularly and appoint a person in charge of ensuring safety in the jet engine maintenance operations.

According to the company’s three-year business plan through March 2022 released Wednesday, it will make quality and safety its top priority in production.

IHI is the latest Japanese firm found to have been carrying out improper safety checks or fabricating quality control data.

Automakers Nissan Motors Co. and Subaru Corp. have admitted to inspections being carried out by unqualified staff. Kobe Steel Ltd. and Mitsubishi Materials Corp., meanwhile, have admitted to fabricating data related to their products.

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