Innovation

DENSO has always been a leader in cutting edge technologies within the automotive industry. That’s why we’re thrilled to have launched our Factory-IoT platform that connects 130 production factories worldwide.

“When I was working on production technology on the manufacturing site, I sometimes felt that this procedure can be automated and the power of IoT should make it easier,” said Yuta Kuroda, a production engineer involved in the F-IoT platform creation. “So I participated in this project because I wanted to make it as efficient as possible with software and create new fun.”

After nearly two years of development, DENSO will now be able to enhance its collaboration abilities through data sharing with internal and external partners. Meanwhile, in-house engineers will be able to continuously improve the platform.

“At first, I felt a sense of urgency about the gap between the recent trends in software development and DENSO’s factory system development,” said Daisuke Nogi, another production engineer who helped create the F-IoT platform. “Therefore, we adopted software technologies that can be used outside the company, and in order to ensure that these technologies can evolve and continue to be used quickly even after the system has been built, we came to the conclusion with a sense of mission that we must secure human resources who are familiar with these technologies in parallel with the system construction.”

By connecting factories around the world in the cloud, the platform strengthens DENSO’s global production system, enables factories to respond immediately to production changes based on local demand, and allows production teams to conduct real-time analysis on the movement of workers and operation statuses of different facilities. In addition, technical engineers can use their own software to incorporate digital power into the platform’s physical improvement activities, which will further accelerate DENSO’s efficiency, quality and cost savings. For example, by linking various devices, it is possible to notify an operator of equipment abnormalities.

Learn more about this achievement and the DENSO associates who brought it to life: https://bit.ly/3lTiOPE

At DENSO, we are constantly working to drive the future of mobility and create innovative technology. In June, we hosted a virtual webinar called DENSO Tech Links Tokyo #7 with the theme “Human Drivers and AI — Automated Driving from the Viewpoint of Human Characteristics.”

This event featured DENSO associates who helped advanced automated driving technology and artificial intelligence (AI) research with the goal of implementing human characteristics. Associates Naoki Ito and Hiroshi Ino presented their work on this topic.

When it comes to the importance of human senses in automated driving Hiroshi Ino said, “We must clarify the specific senses and reproduce them by engineering in order to improve the system by integrating components of our five major businesses. This will be an important challenge in developing the next-generation system.”

If you are interested in learning more, follow the links below to view their work in detail: https://bit.ly/3fVtiKY / https://bit.ly/3aoMWhx

At DENSO, we have a long history of producing products that push electrification technologies into the future. Last week, we doubled down on our promise to produce electrified automotive products, systems and technologies by opening an Electrification Innovation Center in Ajno, Aichi, Japan.

DENSO has long been a pioneer in hybrid and electric vehicle technology, and that tradition continues today. In 2018, it was a large part of our Second Founding, which focuses on key initiatives like electrification, automated driving, connected cars and other non-automotive business areas to prepare us for the future. This facility will help advance that commitment and rapidly transform new ideas into high-quality electrification products for our customers. Better yet, our associates will also create new energy conservation tech to help us reach our zero CO2 emissions goal at the new plant!

The Electrification Innovation Center will include:

• A development building to focus on developing and testing advanced production technologies
• A durability building to focus on reliability testing
• An outdoor track to test new products
• A production plant to support the quick establishment of a mass production line

To learn more about how this Electrification Innovation Center will support our commitment to a more sustainable future, click here.

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing a shortage of medical supplies across the world, so when DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee (DMTN) reached out to Blount Memorial Hospital to see how we could help, the DENSO spirit took over.

“They are in dire need of face shields,” said Britt Autry, DMTN Vice President. “Our associates stepped up, designed a product, developed modeling and had a prototype within a day.”

Since Tuesday, March 24, a visor and shield have been designed and produced. After several modifications, a molding die started being developed for both parts and DENSO purchased straps to assemble the face shield.

Three days later, 30 DENSO face shield prototypes were donated to Blount Memorial Hospital. This week, an additional 75 prototypes are being sent to Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center and East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.

“We can’t thank DENSO enough,” said Alissa McMahon, BMH Director of Quality Management. “Everywhere you look, medical supplies are hard to come by. You are making us – and I’m sure eventually many other hospitals – extremely happy.”

Over the next two weeks, DMTN associates will install production cells in Building 204 to begin mass production. The line should be complete by April 8.

“This is DENSO spirit at is finest and fastest,” said Mark Moses, Intelligent Cockpit Director. “From idea, to design, to production, through safety and legal, it’s been a team effort and everyone should be extremely proud of what we can do together.”

DMTN’s Britt Autry demonstrates how the DENSO face shield is assembled to Blount Memorial Hospital’s Alissa McMahon.

Blount Memorial nurses show off the recently designed and 3D printed face shield prototypes DMTN will start producing in the next couple weeks. Pictured (L to R) are: Cara White, Holly King, Mariah Moore, Ari Small and Barbara Cave.

The DENSO face shield, to be produced in Building 204, says “Thank you for taking care of us!”

DENSO is letting our example shine by turning up the lights and turning down our energy usage! In December, DENSO Manufacturing Michigan, Inc. (DMMI) received a $377,737 rebate from Consumers Energy through their Business Energy Efficiency Program.

DMMI is one of the top 10 highest energy users for Consumers Energy in the State of Michigan due to the requirements of our compressed air systems and industrial brazing furnaces. This means we must continuously look for ways to save energy to reduce our environmental impact and save money. In recent years, multiple lighting and energy saving projects have been implemented in the parking lot and boiler areas. This latest rebate was for full plant lighting replacement and advanced controls such as those used for controlling light activation on motion sensors in the scrap dock area.

Induction lights throughout the plant  were replaced with LED lights featuring wireless control capabilities. The plant is now much, much brighter, with LED lights that can produce more than three times brighter light while using less energy. In addition, the Facilities department maintains a computerized system that controls the lights within an overall Facilities Management System.

The cost and environmental impact is tremendous—280 tons of CO2 emissions per year are saved from the project, and the amount of energy saved is equivalent to the annual electricity usage of 144 homes.

The monetary return from the project exceeded our expectations by over $90,000. The rebate will allow the Facilities department to help offset utility expenses from 2019 fiscal year.

Associates can play a key role in making improvements by looking for energy waste in their own areas. If you see an area for improvement or have an idea, please speak up!

Congratulations to winners and all those who participated in DENSO’s 2019 North America Quality Circle Competition!

DENSO’s celebrating 25 years of QR Code innovation. The QR Code (abbreviated from Quick Response Code) is a matrix barcode invented in 1994 by DENSO WAVE. Its purpose was to track manufacturing; it was designed to allow high-speed component scanning, but now, QR codes are used in a much broader context, such as payment, flight check-in and more.

QR codes made our life a bit more convenient. DENSO is dedicated to continue the development of technologies that can enrich our life.

How will the QR Code change over the next 25 years? Read Q&A with QR Code developer Hara Masahiro to find out.

Looking back 25 years on from the QR Code’s development, did you imagine the extent to which it is currently used?

I thought I’d made a good code in my own way, so I believed it might become popular in industrial applications. But I hadn’t imagined a situation where ordinary people would use it this much, and that the QR Code would be visible throughout cities. In particular, I never thought the QR Code design would be used as a fashion statement in clothes and accessories, or that you would be able to buy goods using QR Codes.

How do you think the QR Code will be used in the future?

One thing I was thinking about partway through the QR Code’s development was to “encode a database itself, and use it offline.” It was often used this way in the initial stages, but this gradually decreased as the network developed. However, it might be worth revisiting as a way of avoiding social problems given it’s sometimes not possible to exchange data in the aftermath of a major disaster, when power outages happen and telecommunications infrastructure has been damaged. In addition, regarding the issue of database leaks of personal information, cases of recording a database in a QR Code with security capabilities and storing it privately will also increase in the future. With that in mind, I will work to develop a QR Code with even more advanced security so people can use it with peace of mind.

Message to future researchers:

Being able to have people around the world use something you developed is an engineer’s dream. I want everyone to try developing something new. When you do that, it’s natural that you will experience some failures since there is no precedent. So go ahead and do what you want to do without worrying about whether you will succeed. Within the failures will be a variety of useful information, and by observing and analyzing that, you will find clues to your next step. I think that having the ability to learn from such mistakes, and use the mistakes to develop something new and innovative, generates the energy to take on new challenges. The accumulation of that leads to creativity. I think that learning from mistakes through trial and error is the best shortcut to achieving success of real value.

Learn more about the QR Code at https://www.denso-wave.com/qr2019/en/

This month, DENSO’s celebrating 25 years of QR Code innovation. The QR Code (abbreviated from Quick Response Code) is a matrix barcode invented in 1994 by DENSO WAVE. Its purpose was to track manufacturing; it was designed to allow high-speed component scanning, but now, QR codes are used in a much broader context, such as payment, flight check-in and more.

QR codes made our life a bit more convenient. DENSO is dedicated to continue the development of technologies that can enrich our life.

See what you can do with the QR Code in The QR Journey video below!

The next CoA (common, compact, collaborative) HVAC line started production at DENSO’s manufacturing facility in Battle Creek on July 22. Although it is the second CoA line, associates throughout the region made sure it is a project filled with firsts.

“The goal for this project was localization, and it was a huge development opportunity,” said Mike Curbey, HVAC Engineering Manager. “This is the first CoA line in the world to be built 100% locally.”

CoA2 is also the first HVAC line with IoT (Internet of Things) connectivity and the first line at DENSO in Battle Creek with a collaborative robot.

Senior Engineering Technician Eric Paulson said that the team at DENSO in Battle Creek worked closely with machine builders at DENSO in Maryville, Tennessee on the localization effort.

“One of our biggest challenges was helping the machine builders understand our needs exactly,” Eric said. “We were starting with something originally designed in Japan and asking the DENSO Tennessee team to build it to the specifications of our local needs in Michigan. We just had to figure all of that out.”

The new line will produce HVACs for three Subaru models produced in the United States. Subaru of Indiana Automotive (SIA) has already recognized the line as a world-class process.

Congratulations to everyone that made the HVAC Auto Line 2 a reality over the last two years. This is a big step towards DENSO’s future!

Did you know that the QR Codes were originally developed by DENSO? Today marks the 25th anniversary of the creation of QR Codes, the ongoing development and distribution of which are now the responsibility of DENSO WAVE Inc.

QR Codes were originally developed to make manufacturing operations more efficient. However, DENSO decided to make the technology license-free in order to encourage their use by as many people as possible, and QR Codes have since spread to a huge range of fields.

With the growth of cashless payment systems, QR Codes are garnering more attention than ever, making this the ideal time to tell family and friends about this versatile DENSO invention!
For more information on QR Codes, visit the DENSO WAVE website at: https://www.denso-wave.com/en/system/qr/

Every day at DENSO, someone is making a prototype for an automotive part. Now up in the North Office, the Internet of Things (IoT) Team is prototyping something drastically different—a modern office environment.

The IoT office space is filled with big blue couches, circular desks, bright bold colors and a whiteboard that spans the entire office. This prototype is based on one central concept—collaboration.

“We want to create an environment that encourages discussion and openness,” said Teresa Hansen, IoT Section Leader.  “This helps encourage learning between senior staff and new staff.

Most DENSO office areas are a sea of grey or beige, so the IoT office stands out. But modern office environments are now commonly designed with color and collaboration in mind.

“I like the color scheme and all the little nooks where you can meet up,” IoT Programmer Nam Le said. “We couldn’t separate ourselves for focused time if we needed the seclusion before. Now the whole room is very flexible.”

As the war for talent gets more and more intense, job seekers are coming to expect modern, collaborative office environments. But even longtime associates like Advanced Software Developer Joe Delbridge love the IoT prototype office.

“It’s the first time in my 21 years that I have seen an office change this drastic… and it’s a great change.”

The door to the IoT office space is locked for security reasons, but Teresa said that this doesn’t mean associates aren’t welcome. In fact, anyone can stop by to take a look around, or bring their laptop along to try out one of the collaboration spaces.

“We want people to see this and want to be a part of it. We want this to show that we’re changing the game at DENSO.”

Contact Teresa or a member of the IoT team with questions or to set up a time.

At the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), we talked to Ridecell & ThinCI about our strategic partnerships & business opportunities. Our Senior Vice President of Engineering Bill Foy, and Tony Cannestra, director of Corporate Ventures, also weigh-in on why DENSO is partnering up.

You’ll hear more about our partnerships with these companies & others in months to come—stay tuned!

Did you know DENSO featured a line of robots at CES in 2017? DENSO’s COBOTTA robots showed CES guests what future, day-to-day life could be like if people and robots collaborated more. For instance, one of our robots acted as a “Barista-bot” that brewed and served coffee to our DENSO booth visitors on the spot!

A few other companies also showcased their own Barista-bots at CES. Wondering how DENSO’s robot barista fared against Bosch and Aubo? Click here to find out which bot made the best cup of joe.

More About Our DENSO Bots

DENSO has been a leader in manufacturing automation, including the design and manufacturing of industrial robot arms, since the 1960’s. Now, we use more than 17,000 of our own robots at DENSO manufacturing facilities across the globe. And, more than 85,000 DENSO robots are used for precision assembly, manufacturing, product testing and quality assurance by other companies worldwide.