December 2004

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Suntory's Kyoto brewery received Special Award for TPM achievement
- Highly appraised on improving consumption quality and developing production technology for environmental conservation -

Suntory's Kyoto brewery ( Location: Nagaoka-kyo shi, Kyoto, Factory director : Noboru Ito), received Special Award for TPM achievement from JIPM (Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance) on the 17th of December.

TPM is abbreviated for “ Total Productive Maintenance”. It is an activity to construct and achieve a structure for “LOSS ZERO”, that is production without defective goods or unnecessary running cost. The activity is objected for the whole lifecycle of production system, such as production / development / distribution / management, which aims to obtain effective integrated production system. Also, it may also include customer, employees, and society's satisfaction through the activity in these recent years.

Suntory received this Special Award for TPM this year as for being appraised on the successful achievement on TPM activity, which content was established as PM Award in 1964 by JIPM. The activity established is aimed to “contribute to industrial development by implementing and strengthening belt-tightening measures of the company, through promoting modernization and developing technology of equipment management “.

Suntory's Kyoto brewery has been highly evaluated through its consistent activity focusing on quality. It received ISO 9002 for the first among industry in 1996, started TPM activity since 1997 and received Award for Excellence in Consistent TPM Commitment-First Category in 2000. Also, since 2001, the brewery has promoted TPM activity by the slogan of “Sending straight from Kyoto! Harmonizing with fine-tasting fresh beer”, which aims to create fine relationships with all customers, neighborhood, brewery visitors, brewery's employees, and also surrounding environment, to become one of the fine “Brewery with sensational beer”. Adding to this, the brewery also has pursued TPM activity, which all of these activities then was highly evaluated to receive the award.

The first Special Award for TPM was already awarded to Tonegawa brewery in October 2001, and it becomes the second time for Suntory to receive the very award this time. Suntory will keep pursue TPM activities consistently, to provide better products to all of each customers in the future.