Building Emergency Procedures (BCM Activities)

DISCO has established a BCM (=Business Continuity Management) system in case of natural disasters such as earthquakes and unknown infectious diseases such as the new-type influenza, so that customers can continue to use DISCO products with security. Here we will introduce the latest BCM initiatives that we are involved in in order to continue providing indispensable products and services to our customers.

Countermeasures for Natural Disasters

DISCO’s head office and manufacturing plants are located in Japan, a country that experiences frequent earthquakes. Furthermore, recently, disasters such as heavy rains, floods, and heavy snow have been occurring more frequently. DISCO has been preparing disaster countermeasures so that customers can continue to use DISCO products with security, even when we face these natural disasters. We have clearly stated the items that should be prioritized during an emergency, and carry these out by gathering our management resources.

  1. Ensure the safety of employees
  2. Contribute to the local community
  3. Maintain the supply of consumable products
  4. Maintain equipment servicing and the supply of parts

Countermeasures for Pandemics

Preparations for disasters and infectious diseases can never be perfect. Therefore, it is necessary to continuously make improvements in order to come close to achieving perfection. The DISCO group as a whole has been preparing for pandemics with the following goals: “Not to let even a single employee become infected,” “not to spread the infection if any employee becomes infected” and “to establish a system for business continuity to meet the situation.”

DISCO has been taking countermeasures against the spread of the new-type influenza since June 2008. As the first step, pandemic program members preemptively deepened their overall understanding of the infectious disease, and then established countermeasures together with management. Furthermore, during the H1N1 influenza that was prevalent worldwide from 2009 to 2010, we improved these countermeasures based on actual observations. It is important to integrate these countermeasures into our daily lives, and not only when a pandemic occurs. For example, basic behaviors such as measuring your temperature every day before going to work, and not forcing yourself to go to work when you are feeling unwell, etc. need to become a habit. To achieve this, we revised our personnel system, enabling employees to take adequate leave. We are also preparing stockpiles of masks and disinfectant solutions.

Building Production Sites that are Resistant to Natural Disasters

Since 2015, we have maintained a system that enables all precision processing tools and precision processing equipment to be processed in seismically isolated buildings. In order to continue production and shipping during power outages, a private power generator and an equipment-transport elevator powered using that electricity have been installed within the buildings. The production system has been further reinforced with the August 2021 completion of Kuwabata Plant Building A, the entirety of which is seismically isolated.

In addition, the Nagano Works Chino Plant was established in April 2018, and production was started at the already completed building (building A). Building B, which was completed in January 2021, is also a seismic isolation building, and the scope of the Chino Plant increased by approximately 7.5 times compared to the previous size. We plan to further strengthen our equipment supply system by gradually expanding production areas for precision processing tools and precision processing equipment here as well. Furthermore, by building a system that enables production of all products at both Hiroshima and Nagano Works, we will be able to decentralize the risks in case of a disaster.

In 2019, we installed a power generation vehicle in order to secure an emergency power source. We have also made it possible to use the pool water from the employees’ recreational swimming pool as water for domestic use, and we continue to develop infrastructure in the event of a disaster.

POINT
High-Voltage Energy Generation Vehicle: Machine and Manpower Both Sourced Internally
In preparation for when electricity supply stops due to power outages from disasters, a high-voltage energy generation vehicle (800kW) was installed and is being used.
By performing everything including operation and inspection internally within the company without depending on outsourcing, a system where the vehicle can quickly be used in times of disasters has been implemented.

High-voltage energy generation vehicle (800kW)

Operation/inspection training

DISCO’s Recovery Objectives in Times of Disaster

DISCO has set and disclosed recovery target times for areas of our business such as the manufacturing and shipment of precision processing tools and equipment, and receiving orders for equipment maintenance parts, in the case where DISCO is affected by a disaster.

We believe that clarifying and disclosing our business continuity objectives will grant our stakeholders with a feeling of security.

Preparing People for Disasters

DISCO considers the main point of BCM to be “Each person being able to protect themselves.” Thus, we strive to promote activities that encourage the employees to be aware of the risks surrounding them and their families, and make necessary preparations based on that and protect themselves. For example, we encourage employees to be aware of the earthquakes and floods in their residential area, secure appropriate supplies depending on their family composition, remove furniture that may fall over in the bedroom, etc.

At each office, we regularly carry out on-site training so that we can take immediate action during disasters such as earthquakes. With regards to infectious diseases such as the seasonal flu and measles, we place great importance on receiving vaccines, and enforce behavior that prevents getting infected and the spread of infection. Through actions such as paying attention to changes in our physical condition, resting when we feel unwell, and following a routine of sanitizing and washing our hands every day, we are strengthening infection prevention countermeasures as part of our daily lives.

The abovementioned activities are some examples of our BCM initiatives. With the BCM Committee (the highest decision-making body for business continuity activities) composed of executives at its core, DISCO is constantly improving, and we aim to “build a corporate structure” where our customers can use our products with security.

Examples of Risk Countermeasures

Systems to Maintain and Improve BCM

DISCO is developing a management system based on the ISO22301:2019 certification in order to maintain and continuously improve our BCM activities.


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