TOKYO -- Kobe Steel plans to appoint the head of its machinery business, Mitsugu Yamaguchi, as president to replace Hiroya Kawasaki, who is resigning after quality control failures resulted in subpar metals being provided to hundreds of clients, Nikkei has learned.
The company's leaders have often come from its mainstay iron and steel business, which generates just under 40% of its sales. It hopes to regain trust by tapping the head of a noncore segment that had little to do with the data falsification scandal. The move is expected to become official at a board of directors meeting to be held Friday.
