South Korea electronics giant Samsung has announced an improvement to the quality control process for its battery manufacturing subsidiary, Samsung SDI. Going forward, all batteries produced by Samsung SDI will go through an "enhanced inspection process" that includes X-raying and enhanced visual inspections.
This move comes after Samsung was forced to recall some of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones due to problems with the battery. In total, Samsung has recalled more than 2.5 million Note 7 smartphones.
The new quality control measures are designed to prevent any repeat of the problems that afflicted the Note 7. Samsung says that it will now X-ray batteries during the manufacturing process in order to check for potential issues.
In addition, the company will also increase the number of visual inspections carried out on batteries. Samples of batteries will also be put through accelerated usage tests, which replicate real-world conditions more effectively than standard lab tests.
Samsung says that the new quality control measures will add around $160 to the cost of each battery. The company expects to spend an additional $100 million this year on quality control, on top of the $2.1 billion it has already set aside to deal with the Note 7 recall.
The improved quality control measures are likely to increase confidence in Samsung's products, but the company will need to do more to win back consumers who have been put off by the problems with the Note 7.