Aso Concrete Industry, based in Kasuya, Fukuoka Prefecture, lost its JIS certification on Nov. 9 after regulators found it shipped concrete mixed to formulas other than those promised and altered records to hide it.
The certification body, the Japan Building Materials and Housing Equipment Industries Federation (Nichisoshi), revoked the certification and reported the decision to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which announced it the same day. JIS, or Japanese Industrial Standards, is the national standard system that certifies products and the quality-control systems behind them.
What the investigation found
Nichisoshi acted on a report from people connected to the company that handling fell short of the quality-control standards JIS requires. It carried out an on-site inspection on Oct. 22.
The inspection confirmed that over a long period the company manufactured and shipped concrete to formulas different from the plans it submitted to buyers. It also altered records to conceal this.
Nichisoshi judged that the company "does not meet the standards for quality-control systems, and the nonconformity is serious." It has not reached a judgment on the effect on safety.
Shipments halted since September
Aso Concrete Industry stopped shipping ready-mixed concrete on Sept. 12. According to the Kyushu Regional Development Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the company and others are continuing to check the effect on the safety of buildings.