Quality

Matsuda Sangyo Co., Ltd. has established as our corporate philosophy “making effective use of the limited Earth resources and contributing to society through business.” To that end, we strive to develop and nurture the products and services that customers require by enhancing our customer relationships across all our business activities, included the recovery of precious metals from industrial resources, manufacturing and sale of precious metal products, proper treatment of industrial waste, and precision cleaning of semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

With the desire to realize our vision, “For human happiness and a beautiful Earth,” we recognize that conserving the environment of the Earth, our homeland, is one of the most important issues confronting all humankind. Based on this recognition, we shall engage in activities with consideration for its maintenance throughout all aspects of our business activities.

Based on our basic philosophy, Matsuda Sangyo Co., Ltd. has established the following policies and framework for quality and environmental targets, and we will strive to achieve our targets with the participation of all employees.

1. Customer satisfaction comes first and society trusts us
   we recognize and act on the need to quickly and accurately grasp customer requirements, provide quality that satisfies customers in terms of delivery time, price, and service, and strive to provide accurate information about products and services.

2.  Emphasis on Compliance
   We clarify the laws and regulations that apply to our business activities, products, services and their environmental aspects, as well as other requirements that are required by customers and other stakeholders and that we agree to, and ensure that all employees are aware of and comply with them.

3. Achieving both environmental impact reduction and business growth
   We will conduct environmental due diligence for our business activities, products, and services, establish management standards to address identified risks, and have all employees take action to reduce our environmental impact, including preventing pollution.
   Furthermore, we will address important environmental issues surrounding our company, such as measures to combat global warming, building a recycling-oriented society, and preserving biodiversity, and strive to improve our corporate value in order to realize a sustainable society.

4. Proper management of hazardous chemical substances
   We will properly manage chemical substances restricted by law, customers, and other stakeholders to prevent procurement, use, and contamination.
   When using chemical substances that may affect the human body or the environment, we will accurately identify the risks, establish management standards for handling, storage, transportation, and disposal, and properly manage them.

5. Complete implementation of PDCAWe will establish and operate an integrated management system for quality and the environment to improve our quality performance and environmental performance, while also verifying the results through regular management reviews and striving for continuous improvement of the integrated management system.

This quality and environmental policy will be reviewed taking into consideration the results, changes in the circumstances surrounding our company, and changes in the needs of our customers and other stakeholders.
This policy applies to Matsuda Sangyo Co., Ltd.'s precious metals-related business (domestic).
 

Enacted: April 1, 2025

Koji Tsushima
Vice President, Matsuda Sangyo Co.,Ltd

Matsuda Sangyo has spent many years building a quality control and assurance system and continues to implement the PDCA cycle and make daily improvements even today.

Based on more than 70 years of precious metal refining knowhow, we carry out precious metal content analysis in the raw materials and quality control for the refining process by using high-precision analysis technology.

The bullion produced under this system is registered as “Good Delivery,” with gold and silver listed under the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) and platinum and palladium under the London Platinum and Palladium Market (LPPM), respectively. Our gold, silver, platinum, and palladium are also registered as “good delivery” in the Osaka Exchange in Japan, and Matsuda Sangyo itself is accredited as designated appraiser.

We supply an extensive lineup of surface treatment chemicals/surface treatment materials, including products that reduce burden on the Earth’s environment, to meet the advanced needs of our customers. In particular, we have strengthened our in-house research and development system for plating chemicals and provide total support ranging from liquid management and analysis to defect countermeasures.

Matsuda Sangyo positions cooperating companies that process and manufacture various industrial materials as our important partners. We check on their quality control conditions through visits to their sites, and share information on product quality to enhance quality standards based on mutual understanding. Matsuda Sangyo’s staff is also present when customers conduct quality audits of our partner companies, sincerely accepting customer feedback and working hand-in-hand with our partners to strive for improvement.

In 1988, we established our proprietary Quality Assurance Department and launched efforts toward ensuring the safety and reliability of our food products. Today, we are working to build a global quality control system based on ISO9001 standards, closely coordinating multiple functions such as providing guidance to production sites and guidance to improve production at partner factories around the world, conducting various tests to raise the quality of food materials, and ensuring thorough traceability. Through this integrated system, we provide customers with Matsuda Sangyo’s unique safety and reliability as an added value that remains steadfast even as we continue to expand our global procurement network. This trust is reflected in the approximately 2,000 customer inquiries that we respond to with accuracy and care each year.

In 1988, we established our proprietary Quality Assurance Department and launched efforts toward ensuring the safety and reliability of our food products. Today, we are working to build a global quality control system based on ISO9001 standards, closely coordinating multiple functions such as providing guidance to production sites and guidance to improve production at partner factories around the world, conducting various tests to raise the quality of food materials, and ensuring thorough traceability. Through this integrated system, we provide customers with Matsuda Sangyo’s unique safety and reliability as an added value that remains steadfast even as we continue to expand our global procurement network. This trust is reflected in the approximately 2,000 customer inquiries that we respond to with accuracy and care each year.

Providing quality guidance to partner companies
 

Addressing the problem of E. coli contamination in okra produced in Indonesia
To address the problem of E. coli contamination in okra produced in Indonesia, we strengthened quality control by identifying the contaminated areas, reviewing cleaning methods, and rebuilding the inspection systems at the local sites. Even after implementing these countermeasures, we continued sharing inspection results and following up via web conferences. Thanks to these efforts, the bacterial count in products imported into Japan has stabilized, and we have been able to maintain the quality that our customers can rely on.
 

A first in Japan: Success in producing boiled shrimp suitable for raw consumption in India
We successfully produced boiled shrimp suitable for raw consumption in India, marking the first such attempt for Japan. To significantly improve the hygiene standards on the production lines at the local site, we conducted training in phases and provided thorough guidance over the span of about a year. This enabled us to establish a manufacturing system that meets Japan’s stringent quality standards, marking a new step forward for the Japanese market.
 

Acquired Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification
Matsuda Sangyo has acquired the blue Eco-Label, a certificate for sustainable fishery, under the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). Since we first acquired the certification in 2011, we have expanded the number of certified offices in Japan and overseas. We will continue to contribute to the conservation of marine life and ecosystems, and strive to achieve sustainable and stable food material procurement across the entire supply chain.

Ensuring swift compliance with the Food Sanitation Act, Act on Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS), and other laws and regulations

Matsuda Sangyo is developing a system in which the Quality Assurance Department centrally manages product quality information, thereby ensuring swift compliance with the relevant laws and regulations, including the Food Sanitation Act and the Act on Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS). “Mercurius,” a product standard management system, lies at the heart of this system. When legal revisions occur, we utilize this system to promptly identify the affected products, enabling the smooth provision of information to customers and realizing greater operational efficiency. Going forward, we will continue to maximize the use of “Mercurius” to ensure thorough legal compliance and strive to further improve customer satisfaction.

Strengthening quality control through the introduction of new inspection equipment

We are actively introducing the latest inspection equipment to further enhance the safety of our products and assess their quality with greater accuracy. Specifically, we have introduced an automated colony counting system that automatically counts and records microbiological test results, and a Stephan cutter that significantly streamlines the testing processes for the physical properties of products. The introduction of such equipment has dramatically improved the precision and efficiency of our inspection operations, while also boosting our highly reliable quality assurance system based on objective data. Moving forward, we will continue to make investments aimed at maintaining even higher quality standards.