Mitsubishi Electric, one of the world's leading manufacturers of large-scale electrical and HVAC systems, has admitted to conducting fraudulent quality assurance tests on its transformers – and has been doing so for decades.
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Thousands of such improperly tested transformers were subsequently shipped both in Japan and abroad.
And it turns out that this isn't the first time Mitsubishi has been caught cheating.
Mitsubishi Electric admits to falsifying safety test data
Tokyo-based electronics giant Mitsubishi Electric has revealed flaws in its quality assurance (QA) testing procedures, including falsifying numbers in test reports for transformers.
With revenues of $34 billion and 138,000 employees worldwide, Mitsubishi Electric is a leader in the production of automotive equipment, air conditioning systems, heavy-duty transformers and semiconductors.
In a series of statements released in April, the company announced the results of an investigation led by an external committee that took place in July 2021 to dive deeper into poor quality control practices at Mitsubishi Electric.
“Many inspections of 22KV 2MVA or above power transformers manufactured at Mitsubishi Electric’s Transmission & Distribution Systems Center in Ako, Hyogo Prefecture, did not fully comply with the testing standards requested by customers requiring compliance with Japan Electrotechnical Commission (JEC), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), or Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards,” the committee’s findings reveal.
In some cases, the committee confirmed, inappropriate statements had been made in inspection reports. In addition, many unit designs deviated from those proposed within internal design guidelines or agreed with customers.
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For example, in “Temperature Rise Tests,” the 22kV 2MVA transformer units far exceeded the maximum temperature specified by regulatory bodies, but Mitsubishi Electric’s test reports deceptively portrayed that the units posed no risk of overheating.
Similarly, dielectric tests – which measure the ability of equipment to withstand high voltages, were conducted at voltages lower than those required by various industry standards.
A total of 8,363 Mitsubishi Electric transformers rated at 22kV 2MVA and above have been shipped to customers between 1982 and March 2022. Of these, 3,384—just over 40%—were inadequately tested.
Of these improperly inspected units, 1,589 were delivered to Japan and 1,795 overseas.
What's happening at the company?
It turns out that not much has changed at the Mitsubishi group of companies, which had a history of dishonest quality control practices.
In October 2021, former president Masaki Sakuyama resigned from Misubishi Electric after the publication of an initial report into the quality control scandal.
Before that, in July, the company's then-President and CEO Takeshi Sugiyama resigned over "three decades of systematic deception," a period during which the electronics manufacturer falsified inspection reports for air conditioners and brake compressors installed in trains.
In 2016, Mitsubishi Motors, a “sister company” of Mitsubishi Electric, came under fire for inaccurate fuel economy test reports that led to resignations.
In 2000, Mitsubishi admitted to covering up car defects for 30 years and said it would recall one million cars.
Although initially scheduled to be completed in April, the current investigation of all Mitsubishi Electric facilities (22 in total) that produce transformers is still ongoing with no completion date set.
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An updated report from the committee's investigators is expected to follow this month. The company has outlined a series of "robust policies" to prevent such mishaps from happening again.
The company is a recognized global leader in the manufacture, marketing and sales of electrical and electronic equipment used in information processing and communications, space development and satellite communications, consumer electronics, industrial technology, energy, transportation and construction equipment. The company recorded revenue of 4,191.4 billion yen (37.8 billion USD) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021.
Information source: bleepingcomputer.com
