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At EIZO, we pride ourselves on exceptional workmanship, attention to detail and the long-term reliability of our products. This commitment to quality comes together on our factory floors where original, cutting-edge, research and development becomes reality as EIZO brand products. Our approach is one of “do-it-ourselves,” and indeed, while outsourcing production is now common practice in the monitor industry, EIZO continues to design, develop and manufacture products in the same way we have throughout our 40 year history – with our own staff, at EIZO-owned factories.
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| A view of EIZO’s factory floor |
Worldwide, the unique attributes of EIZO product quality, design, and long-term reliability have been widely acclaimed in the diversified fields of healthcare, color management, digital photography, financial trading, broadcasting, post-production, graphic design and computer-aided design (CAD). But to truly understand the term that serves as the basis for our corporate identity, one must first look to “quality” in terms of the development and manufacturing of our products.
During development, we pay constant attention to such aspects of product quality as environmental and social impact. Our policy of in-house development and manufacturing enables us to effectively respond and supply superior products to diverse markets around the globe. We strive to challenge ourselves to not only meet, but to exceed the various standards by which environmentally friendly products are certified. In particular, EIZO has been participating in TCO forums since 1992, helping to establish and strengthen guidelines for electric and magnetic field emissions, energy efficiency, and electrical safety. We continue to stay active in our efforts by conforming to the international environmental labeling standard ISO 14020 whilst adhering steadfast to all applicable legal requirements and regulations of the countries in which we operate.
Our commitment to reduce environmental impact and promote conservation is carried over into our manufacturing process. At the beginning of this process, our “just-in-time” parts provisioning system requires little to no idle inventory because supply schedules directly correlate with production. Raw materials enter our factories and are being used on the assembly line within two to three hours of arrival. This lets us maintain a small plant/warehouse infrastructure and reduce our demands for power, air conditioning and heating, while also ensuring that our workers have with the right part, at the right time, in the right amount, with first-in, first out component flow.
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| EIZO's cell manufacturing |
Our system of manufacturing means we have small production “lot” numbers. We define a ‘lot’ as two more monitors in a mass-production sequence.
To these lot sequences, we utilize an
approach called “cell manufacturing.” This is a manufacturing process where products are assembled by a group of four or five
EIZO employees who implement our “five-at-a-time” approach. This is to say, if a total of 25 monitors are to be assembled in a given mass-production lot, then five groups of five monitors are produced. In the unlikely event that a monitor component such as a screw, cushion, or connector remains on the assembly line after completing one of the groups of five, our employees immediately isolate the previously assembled five monitors and take corrective action. Our system of cross-checks performed at every step of assembly provides a highly nimble, direct response, ensuring production accuracy without sacrificing efficiency.
After assembly, new monitors with unique serial numbers and screen characteristics undergo a rigorous battery of tests and screen adjustments. Starting with a pre-heat phase called “aging,” monitors are supplied power for the first time with a test screen displayed.
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| A new monitor supplied with power for the first time |
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The aging process provides an initial opportunity to evaluate screen quality and to adjust white balance and gamma on each LCD panel. Each screen is carefully observed for between two to three hours, depending on model. Typically, if a hardware-based malfunction such as circuit board short is to occur, it will happen during this time and corrective action is taken. If more than three monitors in a given production lot fail any aspect of quality control inspections, the entire mass-production lot is designated to be “lot-out.” This means the entire lot is unacceptable for shipment as is and necessitates that each monitor of that lot be “re-worked.” In such an event, the individual steps of mass-production are re-performed on each monitor. This allows us to not only identify the root cause of the malfunction and make necessary corrections, but to also ensure that other monitors do not contain similar hidden imperfections. On EIZO assembly lines, ‘re-work’ is a team effort using a non-judgmental, non-blaming, learning approach that fosters re-examination of the overall processes as new improvements are suggested by workers and supervisors.
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| Monitors are closely observed to detect any irregularities. |
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Following the aging process, all monitors are meticulously checked and adjusted for accurate display of color, grayscale, and response time. Monitors are also given a jolt test to determine if any signal fluctuations exist and to make certain that no signs of jitter appear on the screen if bumped either through shipping or customer use.
Monitors destined for the graphics and healthcare markets receive factory uniformity correction using EIZO’s Digital Uniformity Equalizer (DUE). Here fluctuations in brightness and chroma on different parts of the screen are corrected. DUE corrects grayscale tones to ensure brightness uniformity across the screen offering highly refined renderings of extremely delicate grayscale shadings. DUE also corrects chromaticity uniformity errors enabling color monitors to accurately display monochrome ramps without banding. The need to maintain strict quality control is of particular importance for our products destined for the healthcare and graphics markets, where the special characteristics for their applications demand special attention. Our commitment to supply high quality products has allowed us to improve on existing quality control methods; and our acquired certifications reflect this. In 1993, we earned ISO 9002 certification for our quality management system, and in 2005, our quality management system for medical devices was awarded with ISO 13485 certification.
After all technical and physical characteristics of our monitors are confirmed to be of “EIZO quality” monitors are then transferred to their shipping containers and delicately hand-packed, marking the beginning of the journey to the customer.
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| Monitors receive a final exterior appearance inspection (left) and are delicately hand-packed prior to shipping (right). |
We know that achieving the optimum product quality ultimately relies on EIZO manufacturing. That is one reason why we make an ongoing investment in our employees through cross-training, empowerment and special recognition. As a result, many EIZO manufacturing employees have been with the company for more than a decade assembling monitors, calibrating screens, configuring DUE, and ensuring strict quality control for our products. To this end, worker retention is essential to perform these specialized tasks. Putting personal importance and worth in our manufacturing process has the added benefits of encouraging creativity, evolution, and making our factory processes evermore efficient, environmentally sound, and globally competitive.
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