DENSO and NEC Establish a Joint Venture to Develop Essential Connectivity Technologies for Cars of the Present and Future

Contact: Bridgette LaRose
DENSO International America, Inc.
(248) 248-8266
bridgette_larose@denso-diam.com

KARIYA (Japan) ― DENSO Corporation and NEC Platforms, Ltd., a subsidiary of NEC Corporation, today unveiled a new joint venture, DENSO NEXT CO., LTD. The company will develop in-vehicle information and communications equipment critical for fostering a truly connected environment inside vehicles, such as instrument clusters, head-up displays, and on-board communication equipment. The company will start operations on December 1, 2017.

The recent cockpit innovation and advancement of connected technologies have made communication between products in the cabin more complicated, rapidly increasing the need to develop in-vehicle products more efficiently. DENSO NEXT will harness DENSO’s advanced automotive engineering and manufacturing capabilities, and NEC Group’s advanced technologies and track record in the information and communications technology (ICT) business to quickly design and bring to market advanced in-vehicle equipment.

DENSO NEXT will be located on the premises of NEC’s Tamagawa Plant in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan. The innovations developed by DENSO and NEC Platforms engineers will enable DENSO to more efficiently produce existing information and communications equipment, and to create new products in line with vehicle cockpit advancements.

DENSO NEXT combines DENSO’s deep experience with automotive components and NEC and NEC Platforms’ expertise in IT and network technologies and experience in developing automotive components. NEC and NEC Platforms have expertise in ICT and conventional in-vehicle equipment through their development of wireless communication and software products. Their expertise will be applied to achieve further advancement of in-vehicle equipment that requires high reliability and long-term assurance.

In December 2016, DENSO and NEC started to collaborate in advanced driver assistance, automated driving, and manufacturing using AI and IoT. The two companies will take full advantage of technologies, products, and organizations created through the collaboration to help create a safe and secure automotive society for all people around the world.

The profile of the joint venture is as follows.

* Exchange rate used is 113 yen to the US one dollar, at the end of October for convenience only.

About DENSO in North America

DENSO is a leading global automotive supplier of advanced technology, systems and components in the areas of thermal, powertrain control, electronics and information and safety. With its North American headquarters located in Southfield, Michigan, DENSO employs more than 23,000 people at 28 consolidated subsidiaries and 4 affiliates across the North American region. Of these, 25 are manufacturing facilities located in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In the United States alone, DENSO employs more than 17,000 people in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Iowa, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. DENSO’s North American consolidated sales totaled US$9.6 billion for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2017. For more information, go to www.denso.com/us-ca/en. Connect with DENSO on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DENSOinNorthAmerica.

DENSO Worldwide
DENSO Corp., headquartered in Kariya, Aichi prefecture, Japan has more than 200 subsidiaries and affiliates in 38 countries and regions (including Japan) and employs more than 150,000 people worldwide. Consolidated global sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2017, totaled US$40.4 billion. Last fiscal year, DENSO spent 8.8 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development. DENSO common stock is traded on the Tokyo and Nagoya stock exchanges. For more information, go to www.denso.com, or visit our media website at www.denso.com/global/en/news/media-center/

About NEC Corporation

NEC Corporation is a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies that benefit businesses and people around the world. By providing a combination of products and solutions that cross utilize the company’s experience and global resources, NEC’s advanced technologies meet the complex and ever-changing needs of its customers. NEC brings more than 100 years of expertise in technological innovation to empower people, businesses and society. For more information, visit NEC at http://www.nec.com

The NEC Group globally provides “Solutions for Society” that promote the safety, security, efficiency and equality of society. Under the company’s corporate message of “Orchestrating a brighter world,” NEC aims to help solve a wide range of challenging issues and to create new social value for the changing world of tomorrow. For more information, please visit

http://www.nec.com/en/global/about/solutionsforsociety/message.html

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