A few decades ago, and within a few days of joining YKK, I was asked a question about the company and my work, and my answer was that YKK did not look like a company, but like a religious sect.  This feeling was due to the amount of information I received about their philosophy. All the professionals that I had met were talking about the “Cycle of Goodness” and the philosophy of the YKK Group and their relentless pursuit of quality. One specific comment that is attributed to the company founder, Mr. Tadao Yoshida, was that we cannot be satisfied with being the best in the city or region, but we must be the best in the world. With these comments in mind, the conclusion I came to is that “there is no reason do to something unless we apply the highest of quality to everything we do.” Perhaps nowadays we have lost some of the charisma of the “religious sect,” but we haven’t lost the focus on the search for quality.

Quality is usually understood as being fundamental to the operational activity. That is, the search for quality products, which is a very real search, should not solely pertain to the production sector. It is also extremely relevant for the administrative sector of the company.
As quality is an unquestionable value, every individual must be kept motivated and assume a personal commitment, in their daily activities., to the goal of “zero.” “Zero” late or incorrect payments; “Zero” incorrect or improper accounting entries; “Zero” improper or delayed tax payments; “Zero” customer payments not processed correctly; “Zero” amounts information disclosed internally, to a third-party, or to governments with inconsistency; among other “Zeros.”

Perhaps “zero” is not enough and there is always room for improvement and thus the importance of constantly asking, “Is this the best I can do?”

To achieve total quality, there is no tolerance of any unforeseen events. Everything must be well planned and calculated precisely to avoid them. In Brazil, the YKK Group has a very positive corporate image and the quality of its products and services is recognized as the face of YKK and an invaluable part of our brand.  But are we doing enough? No, there is always a need for improvement either by changing (updating) processes to avoid complacency.

Rubens Moraes Leite
Director of Finance & Accounting Department
YKK do Brasil Ltda.