People and Safety Come First at DENSO

A message from Don Tracy, vice president, North America Production Innovation Center (Maryville, Tenn.)

Safety’s at the core of DENSO’s manufacturing process. From initial product design, we make sure our products are safe for our associates to build. This is why I joined DENSO 30 years ago. Back then, a family friend of mine gave me a call and told me that I had to go work for a company called Nippondenso, now DENSO. After the call, I started doing some research. I read about the Nippondenso core values and saw how much importance was placed on safety and quality. This convinced me to submit an application and accept an interview. During my interview, the hiring manager told me that their management style was “all for one and one for all.” I knew right then and there that people came first at Nippondenso, which sealed the deal.

My core is building trust and a growth mindset

This is how I feel building trust and a growth mindset are key to safety: We can all play a role in workplace safety by watching out for the safety of our co-workers. Think of it this way, if you’re working with three coworkers and trust that each of you are looking out for one another, your work environment becomes that much safer.

Also, without a safe work environment, we can’t possibly perform our best to create quality products. This is why we need to keep a growth mindset when it comes to safety. When we strive to improve safety, the quality of our products can improve. This is why safety always comes first before quality, cost and delivery.