It was only a small piece of plastic that brushed Jacob Klepper’s work boot, but he knew it was a big deal.
Jacob has been building and packing engine cooling modules at DENSO Manufacturing Michigan for over a year now, so he recognized the piece could have been broken off of a finished part headed for a customer. He immediately stopped the line and called his Team Leader, Stan Thuazathang.
Stan arranged for Jacob to conduct a sort of finished parts in the warehouse, determined to find the source of the broken unit. An hour and a half later, Jacob discovered the broken radiator and removed it to be repaired.
“I knew the prong was a customer use point, so we could have received a quality defect claim,” Jacob said. “That would have cost DENSO a lot of time and money if it had gotten to the customer’s assembly line, so I’m glad I was able to find it.”
Stan said this is not the first defect that Jacob has found, and appreciates his hard work and dedication to protecting DENSO’s customers.
“Jacob is a really great worker,” Stan said. “His attention to detail is excellent, and I know we can count on him to speak up when he sees something wrong. That’s really important for all of our associates, so Jacob is setting a great example.”
Basketball and quality targets may seem like an unlikely combination, but the DENSO Production Control (PC) team in Battle Creek combined the two into a competitive March Madness Critical Lockout Challenge with championship results.
PC teams were divided into ECM and HVAC plant brackets and advanced based on the smallest number of critical lockouts. Lockouts can occur when parts in the warehouse are scanned to the wrong order, or if parts are not scanned into inventory.
“Lockouts are the tip of an iceberg, so if we manage them properly we’ll see improvements throughout the whole process that better protect our customers,” said Derrick Boyd, PC Section Leader. “Every day, at least 40 people are scanning parts for more than a dozen customers going on about 120 trucks, so we need ways to help everyone stay focused on what they’re doing.”
The challenge was fun for associates, and also helped DMMI achieve their lowest month of critical lockouts for the year. The top two teams ended the competition strong, having zero lockouts during the entire 4 week challenge! HVAC Plant finalists were team “Uncle Charlie” including Richard Martin, Jaymes Marriott, and Audra Blowers. The ECM Plant winner was “Team Adam” including Damion Adams, Timothy Barnes, and James Ayer.
“Lockouts put our customer at risk,” said Damion Adams, Advanced Associate. “This challenge got competitive because everyone was striving to do their personal best, so it helps us better focus on our job and do our part to keep customers happy.”
Team Adam was ultimately declared the champion because they had more opportunities for lockouts to occur. Each team member was awarded a Lockout Champion T-shirt and a $50 gift card. Runners-up were also awarded gift cards.
“The goal is to keep lowering our EPM (Errors per Million) by continuing to motivate our associates through challenges like this, bringing their attention to what causes lockouts, making process improvements and making sure our production team stocks in parts accurately to avoid delays and ensure high levels of inventory accuracy,” said Adam Senchuk, PC Manager.
Congratulations to DENSO Mexico for earning top honors as the number one Excellent Factory (EF) in North America! We’re sharing perspectives from DENSO Mexico’s ICT plant throughout the month to learn more about DNMX’s journey to excellence.
This week: Adrián Rosas, TIE Manager, on what’s next for DNMX EF
“This last year, we sought to do something different: Getting the people themselves to develop their fellow workers. This was one of the points that helped us revolutionize the activity that we were already carrying out. It was a trigger, a key point, for winning this competition.
It’s always an honor to travel to represent Mexico and, obviously, DENSO, in this global conference, to see how representatives of other plants around the world had this opportunity and, above all, to share experiences that allow you to understand the situation at other companies and to see how other associates address their challenges.
What’s the next step? We’re seeking to balance the three plants in Mexico, to be the best on a national level. With the effort and dedication that our Associates bring, we will go very far.”
Congratulations to all those who competed at 2018 NAQCC and good luck to our award winners at the global competition this month!
Congratulations to DENSO Mexico for earning top honors as the number one Excellent Factory (EF) in North America! We’re sharing perspectives from DENSO Mexico’s ICT plant throughout the month to learn more about DNMX’s journey to excellence.
This week: Leticia Orozco on improving productivity
“The satisfaction from completing a project of great magnitude is gratifying.
“We implemented a better production system, with improved productivity. We focused our activities to address productivity and cycle times. After analysis, we realized how much MUDA (wasted time) of our team we had, and worked together to shift our focus and make our time at work more productive.
We accomplished this through strong teamwork. It was certainly a major achievement to complete after six months. It makes us very proud to know we are making a big contribution to the company, and this will be reflected in our work.”
This was just one of the processes that underwent considerable improvement, and it was an important part of how the ICT plant in Apodaca won the EF award at the regional level, competing with plants like DMMI and DMAT.
DENSO is committed to a culture where every associate’s diverse talents and strong passion enable us to contribute to a better world. So, we want to know – what’s at your core? What are you passionate about? What drives and motivates you?
We talked to winners of the 2018 North America Quality Circle Competition (NAQCC) Benchmark Award – Team Hybridos – about what drives and motivates them every day:
Arturo Josue Corzo Figueroa
My Core: Perseverance
The most important thing that exists for me is my family. I strive to continue to develop professionally and personally for them. I want to always be the best, to learn new things every day and above all to do my job as best as possible. I always think about how my actions might affect others, I put myself in other people’s position and try to expect the best from others. With this, I always take into account safety and quality, for myself and others.
José de Jesús Facio Mares
My core: Teamwork
Teamwork is important because together, we can achieve our goals. I’m proud to work with others and contribute to be a number one supplier.
Antonio Gonzalo Zuñiga de León
My Core: Working with my team
Working with a team is more effective and quick. My team is what creates a pleasant work environment and motivates me to strive for better work performance every day.
Maria Guadalupe Resendiz Resendiz
My Core: Passion
Passion is what makes me wake up every day and go to work. I bring passion to my work for the benefit of my family and for my team.
José Jair de Jesús Jacques Luevano
My Core: Efforts
It’s important for me to give my best every day. People see your work and the dedication that you put in, and this can motivate others. I want to make my family and friends proud.
DENSO Mexico’s enthusiasm, dedication and creativity to kaizen shine every year at the North America Quality Circle Competition (NAQCC)*. Boasting a winning team for the last 10 years, DENSO Mexico (DNMX) didn’t disappoint this year with Team Hybridos achieving the Benchmark Award, the highest honor at the NAQCC event. Taking home the top honors allows Team Hybridos to move on to the next level in the kaizen competition, representing North America in the global competition in Japan next month.
Team Hybridos focused on reducing the LSH (linear solenoid) control pressure defect often found during the inspection process. The process was analyzed in close collaboration with DENSO Japan. As the team was implementing countermeasures, they unearthed another leakage defect and were able to tackle that issue too! In the end, both defects were eliminated, in turn improving KPIs for inspection defects, scrap and operation ratio.
While the team made significant improvements to DENSO’s overall quality and business operations, they walked away with individual successes as well:
“With this competition, I was able to move past my fear of public speaking. I now know that I’m capable of doing it, with confidence.” – José Jair de Jesús Jacques Luevano
“My favorite part was getting to know the other teams. We formed a strong bond with other participants. Everyone was able to put the competition aside for a moment and enjoy each other’s company, and get to know one another better.” – Arturo Josue Corzo Figueroa
“This was an experience of a lifetime. I was proud to represent my company and achieve such challenging targets. These were unforgettable moments.” – José de Jesús Facio Mares
Congratulations to Team Hybridos!
Arturo Josue Corzo Figueroa (PE Valve Body)
José de Jesús Facio Mares (Valve Body)
María Guadalupe Resendiz Resendiz (Valve Body)
José Jair de Jesús Jacques Luevano (Valve Body)
Antonio Gonzalo Zuñiga de León (Valve Body)
Get to know the team
Our people are the core of everything we do – our commitment to safety and quality, our drive to develop innovative products and give back to our communities. Our success comes from our associate’s diverse talents and strong passion.
Click here to learn more about the people behind Team Hybridos, what motivates and drives them every day.
*What’s NAQCC?
NAQCC is the North America Quality Circle Competition, a regional competition for DENSO’s top quality circle teams to demonstrate their skills in team building, leadership, computer knowledge, public speaking, and problem-solving. Quality circle teams consist of a group of associates, working together to identify, analyze and solve work-related problems. DENSO has thousands of quality circle teams across the globe, helping DENSO reduce costs, increase quality, efficiency and safety, and preserving and protecting the environment.
Congratulations to DENSO Mexico for earning top honors as the number one Excellent Factory (EF) in North America! We’re sharing perspectives from DENSO Mexico’s ICT plant throughout the month to learn more about DNMX’s journey to excellence.
This week: Enrique Treviño, Senior Vice President, on the human side of EF
“EF is an overall activity of the plants. It comprises various subsystems. We can think of it like a gear assembly. Seeing it function, it looks simple; making it work is the real challenge. This has been worked on for years. For C&C, taking part in the competition is not new; it has been a contender before. The results that we saw this year is the accumulated work of years of structured progress and teamwork.
The most important thing is to have the necessary knowledge of the tools that are used in order to have an efficient plant, and for personnel to understand them so that they can prevent and solve problems effectively.
One important part of having received this award was the full involvement of our personnel. Doing Kaizen with the participation of all — that is the human side of EF.
EF Developers have the task of developing knowledge of this technique so that everything will work based on the guidelines required to be an efficient plant; that differentiated us from North America. I am very proud of all the people involved, because we have shown once more that DENSO Mexico has the capacity to go very far. Congratulations!
DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee never fails to impress at the annual North America Quality Circle Competition (NAQCC)*. For the past 10 years, teams from DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee (DMTN) have taken home one of the top awards at the kaizen competition. This year, Team Six Pack kept the winning streak going, taking home the President’s Award, allowing the team to move on to the next level and represent North America in the global competition in Japan in November.
Team Six Pack focused on winder chokotei (unplanned idling or minor stops). As they dug deeper into the issue, they uncovered three root causes and identified countermeasures for each issue. Addressing these issues resulted in reduced faults and overall chokotei, reduced scrap, reduced cost for parts and improved team efficiency on the line. This ultimately leads to better quality alternators, where the team’s rotors end up.
While the team made significant improvements to DENSO’s overall quality and business operations, they walked away with individual successes as well:
“For 21 years now, I’ve been doing kaizen, and I’ve learned that there are many angles to a great quality circle. We saw ideas from all areas of safety, quality, cost and delivery. The experience taught me that everyone can be part of a kaizen team and make a difference for the company, their team, and for every individual who wears a DENSO shirt.
“During this project, I realized, the answer was right in front of us the whole time. We just needed to follow the proper steps, in the proper order, and let the answers reveal themselves to us. Sometimes the smallest detail, something you see every day, could be the answer. Do not let abnormal become normal!” – Sam Estes
“My favorite part of the NAQCC event was the team building activities. I also enjoyed watching the other presentations. I enjoyed the team building part of the competition most though because we were able to interact with the other teams and get to know many people from many different plants.” – KC Cunningham
Congratulations to Team Six Pack!
Seth Bundy
KC Cunningham
Sam Estes
Richard Gass
James Gay
Jeff Krutsinger
Get to know the team
Our people are the core of everything we do – our commitment to safety and quality, our drive to develop innovative products and give back to our communities. Our success comes from our associate’s diverse talents and strong passion.
Click here to learn more about a couple people behind Team Six Pack, what motivates and drives them every day.
*What’s NAQCC?
NAQCC is the North America Quality Circle Competition, a regional competition for DENSO’s top quality circle teams to demonstrate their skills in team building, leadership, computer knowledge, public speaking, and problem-solving. Quality circle teams consist of a group of associates, working together to identify, analyze and solve work-related problems. DENSO has thousands of quality circle teams across the globe, helping DENSO reduce costs, increase quality, efficiency and safety, and preserving and protecting the environment.
DENSO is committed to a culture where every associate’s diverse talents and strong passion enable us to contribute to a better world. So, we want to know – what’s at your core? What are you passionate about? What drives and motivates you?
We talked to a couple of the winners of the 2018 North America Quality Circle Competition (NAQCC) President’s Award – Team Six Pack – about what drives and motivates them every day:
Sam Estes
My Core: Family values
Sometimes I work long hours – what can I do to improve the situation? Sometimes I work the weekends – how can we work better together to improve the line. Sometimes the machines just won’t run – how can I turn the negative situation into a positive result? The associates are tired and getting burnt out – remember the great times and think how we can take small steps to improve the negative.
These questions we are asked almost daily, I work for my family and my company. You can be negative, tired, and burnt out, but just remember how strong this company is and you can make a difference.
KC Cunningham
My Core: Making a quality product for my customer
My motivation and drive every day is doing a good job and being proud of what my team and I have accomplished.
DENSO Manufacturing Canada Corolla ECM Team achieves 10 years perfect quality
Congratulations to the Toyota Corolla Engine Cooling Module (ECM) team at DENSO Manufacturing Canada for reaching a milestone of 10 years perfect quality for supplied parts to Toyota Manufacturing Canada!
For DMCN, this was the first time manufacturing this product type, and there was an excellent opportunity for a strong product launch. We needed a different approach to strive for perfection, this started with the people.
Hear from some of the team members who made it happen:
Associates were selected well in advance of launch and took part in the development of process flow, standardized work, and assembly cell setup. This preparation was DMCN model activity for monozukuri (‘the art of making things’) which included full involvement and integration of associates who would challenge the status quo, and each other daily to ensure a strong Quality focus and process ownership.
This performance, coupled with an unrelenting desire to continuously improve, has resulted in Perfect quality and is now the longest period of time without a customer claim in DENSO globally.
Over the years, the faces may have changed, but the firm commitment to Quality Perfection has continued and the baseline has now been set for future achievement.
Thank you to all the teams who helped us achieve 10 years perfect quality!
Congratulations to DENSO Mexico for earning top honors as the number one Excellent Factory (EF) in North America! We’re sharing perspectives from DENSO Mexico’s ICT plant throughout the month to learn more about DNMX’s journey to excellence.
This week: Roberto Munguia, TIE specialist, on overcoming challenges
“In each project, there are different challenges we face, and we have to know how to overcome them.
We worked on improving productivity through something called ‘Fractional Manpower.’ This is implemented in various ways, such as transferring people, to create a balance and improved productivity.
Our biggest obstacle was time. We wanted to start making changes on a certain date, but, at the same time, this was a major line-modification activity. It wasn’t a simple task. It required bringing together many departments such as support, engineering, production, logistics and others, and coordinating various departments in order to monitor KPIs since everyone has their own. However, together, we were able to successfully overcome this challenge, in a record two month time!
Human Development was also an important piece in the process, because we were working hand in hand with the production team leader. We learned a lot about Fractional Manpower, and how this could be applied to different areas of the company.”
This was just one of the processes that underwent considerable improvement, and it was an important part of how the ICT plant in Apodaca won the EF award at the regional level, competing with plants like DMMI and DMAT.
Lannie Jackson has been building DENSO radiators in Battle Creek, Michigan for more than a decade.
“When people ask me where I work, I’m proud to tell them DENSO. In 13 years, I’ve been from one side of the plant to the other on all three shifts and quality is first throughout every corner,” Lannie said.
Quality is at his core, Lannie said, because he appreciates being treated as the expert of his job. He knows when something doesn’t look right or sound right, and when he calls for help, he is part of finding the solution.
“Maintenance can fix a machine, but they don’t run it every day,” Lannie said. “So when they come out to help, they want to know what we’ve noticed. So we show them how it’s done and they respect what we know. We tell them what it’s not doing that it’s supposed to do.”
This teamwork approach to quality is a big reason Lannie is proud to work for DENSO, but job security was his original motivation. After going through two plant shutdowns at other area manufacturers, Lannie, a single parent, was determined to find a stable company.
“At DENSO, we work hard. But your hardest day at DENSO is your first day on the line. Your second hardest day is your second day. Every day after that gets easier,” Lannie said. “Friends try to talk you out of factory life, because it’s not for them, but your bills are not their bills and your life is not their life.”
These days, Lannie said he gets the most satisfaction out of training new associates.
“It’s so rewarding to teach someone something new,” Lannie said. “When I pass a group of people in the hallway, ten people know my name and I’ve trained seven of them.
“I will refer people to work at DENSO, but I make sure they know that if they come here, they gotta work for it. Once you get that mindset, you’re going to love it.”
-Lannie Jackson, Radiator Production Associate, Battle Creek, Mich.
Congratulations to DENSO Mexico for earning top honors as the number one Excellent Factory (EF) in North America! We’re sharing perspectives from DENSO Mexico’s ICT plant throughout the month to learn more about DNMX’s journey to excellence.
This week: Nancy Castillo, PC supervisor, on a culture of continuous improvement
“When we enjoy what we do, it stops being work.
Since the first time DENSO Mexico won the award for best EF activity, plans have been increasingly high-level and challenging for everybody. Over these last years, we have succeeded in defining unique and innovative activities. However, we need to accelerate our actions in order to be able to remain competitive.
We realized that the sustainability that we needed would be achieved only with the help of the people who work in each process, from the ground up: the EF Developers — people with knowledge and who have a passion for improvement.
EF Developers are the beginning of a culture of continuous improvement, where not only knowledge is sought, but also their actions motivate people to strive for more.
It was an honor to be part of this and, with DENSO Mexico, to win the EF award for North America.”
Earlier this month, associates drove a Lexus RX equipped with DENSO’s Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). The active driving system can take over a vehicle and assist in avoiding traffic accidents, should a driver be distracted. Associates drove the vehicle at 15 mph toward a target and within seconds, ADAS stopped the car and protected the passengers.
The event showcased the impact of quality for associates and showed first-hand how producing a quality product plays a critical role in the future of mobility.
Hear what associates had to say about their experience:
In September, 23 Quality Circle teams* crossed state and country lines to gather in the “windy city” of Chicago for the 2018 North America Quality Circle Competition (NAQCC).
After several months of research, problem solving, testing and troubleshooting, teams showed off their unique kaizen ideas and personalities through eye-catching, dynamic presentations.
The trip wasn’t all work. Every NAQCC event incorporates an associate engagement activity, such as just-for-fun team building activities or community service activities to help break the ice and get teams talking, laughing and energized. This year featured “minute to win it” games on the first night. Teams also assembled, in a strategic competition, more than 500 First-Aid emergency supply kits for the American Red Cross, one of DENSO’s long-time community partners.
Shout-out to the teams
Quality Circle teams are the energy and drive behind DENSO’s “quality first” and kaizen mindset. They play a huge role in pushing our company to continuously improve and reach new heights. Thank you to this year’s teams for leading the way!
DENSO BROS, NAPIC
THE LAB MONKEYS, DMAT *Effort Circle Award Winner PLASTILINA, DNMX *Judges’ Circle Award Winner TOO COLD TO FLOW, DMMI GAMECHANGERS, KDMK STATOR TEAM, HDMX GUARDIANS OF THE SOLDER BLOCK, DMTN THE TRAINABLES, ANC LOS HIJOS DE BONICE, DNMX *Productivity Circle Award Winner MILLERSAPS AND FRIENDS, DMTN ACME KAIZEN COMPANY, DMAT THE INNOVATORS, DMCN |
SEPARATE WAYS, DMMI
STRAIGHT OUTTA LONG BEACH, DPAM POWDER BE GONE, GNC HYBRIDOS, DNMX *Benchmark Circle Award Winner FOR THOSE ABOUT TO WALK, DMAR T-N-T: TODAY NOT TOMORROW, DMAT *Safety/Environment Circle Award Winner LOS IMPLACABLES DE LA CALIDAD, DNMX *Quality Circle Award Winner LEAN MACHINE, DPAM EMOJI TEAM, ASMX CAN’T CUT THIS, DMMI SIX PACK, DMTN *President’s Circle Award Winner* |
Representing North America
Congratulations to Team Hybridos from DENSO Mexico, and Team Six Pack from DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee, awarded with the top two highest honors at this year’s regional competition. These teams will represent North America in the global competition in Japan in November!
Below is a sneak peek of all the fun at the 2018 NAQCC. Stay tuned for more stories and videos coming soon!
*What’s a Quality Circle?
At DENSO, we seek continual innovation in manufacturing to ensure consistent high-quality products, safe working environments and reduced environmental impact. That’s why Quality Circle or kaizen teams are an important part of our daily working lives. Quality Circle teams consist of a group of associates, working together to identify, analyze and solve work-related problems.
The first North American Quality Circle team was established in 1987 at DENSO Manufacturing Michigan Inc. Today, we have thousands of Quality Circle teams across the globe, helping DENSO reduce costs, increase quality, efficiency and safety, and preserving and protecting the environment.
Quality Circles also provide a hands-on learning experience for associates to develop many skills, including team building, leadership, organizational, computer knowledge, public speaking, and problem-solving. Plus, teams have the opportunity to travel and show-off their creative kaizen solutions.
Congratulations to DENSO Mexico for earning top honors as the number one Excellent Factory (EF) in North America! We’re sharing perspectives from DENSO Mexico’s ICT plant throughout the month to learn more about DNMX’s journey to excellence.
This week: Maricela Puente, team leader of final assembly, on the EF Developers’ Program
“You learn something new with each challenge, even more so when you work in collaboration with other areas. In the EF projects, various pillars are developed, each group has a different focus. We focused on the standardization Kaizen.
With associates in my area, we implemented the EF Developers’ system, which consists of developing personnel (in this case, line personnel) and carrying out a system for the correct use of tools, as well as the proper process for auditing and detecting, in a timely manner, an area that requires Kaizen, so that we will have time to implement impactful improvements. All of this is being implemented in ICT at the Apodaca, Guadalupe and Silao plants.
I began alone in TAE, and then I began with very small Kaizen improvements. Those small improvements led me to create larger improvements and ideas, and altogether, a significant impact.”
This was just one of the processes that underwent considerable improvement, and it was an important part of how the ICT plant in Apodaca won the EF award at the regional level, competing with plants like DMMI and DMAT.
Our commitment to monozukuri, “the art of making things,” is a strength DENSO has nurtured since its founding. It has led to many of our unique manufacturing processes and world-first products. But, in true DENSO fashion, we’re looking to continuously improve and take monozukuri to the next level. One way we’re moving in this direction is through the Excellent Factory (EF) activities.
What is “Excellent Factory”?
EF activities are aimed to continuously improve production sites by involving all associates at the plant – from the leadership team to front-line production associates – it’s a cross-functional, collaborative effort.
DENSO challenges plants and recognizes top EF activities at its annual DENSO Group EF Activity Conference. This year, teams from DENSO Mexico, DENSO Manufacturing Michigan, and DENSO Manufacturing Athens Tennessee were awarded in our regional EF competition. Being recognized with top honors, DENSO Mexico was invited to share their activities at the Global EF Conference in May.
What’s it take to be named EF?
Four main pillars are evaluated for EF honors:
Top Honors for DNMX ICT Plant
ICT associates made several improvements across the plant to exceed in the main EF pillar categories. However, the EF Developers’ program helped DNMX really stand out against the competition and take home top regional honors.
The EF Developers’ program is a training program. Group leaders train their colleagues on correct use of tools, as well as the proper process for auditing and detecting, in a timely manner, an area that requires Kaizen. This allows time for teams to make impactful improvements.
“One important part of having received this award was the full involvement of our personnel,” said Enrique Trevino, vice president of DENSO Mexico. “Doing kaizen with the participation of all — that is the human side of EF. EF Developers have the task of developing knowledge of this technique so that everything will work based on the guidelines required to be an efficient plant. That is what differentiated us from North America. I’m very proud of all the people involved, because we have shown once more that DENSO Mexico has the capacity to go very far.”
All they do is win!
Congratulations to DENSO Mexico for earning top honors as the number one EF factory in North America! This is the third time DENSO Mexico has been distinguished with top honors, making DENSO Mexico the company with the most EF activity awards since the start of the competition in North America.
Stay tuned throughout the month to learn more about DENSO Mexico’s EF activity and the associates who helped make it happen.
Our core is our people. They bring special strengths and skills to the work bench every day. They drive our success. For Shashidhar, being meticulous in his work is most important:
“I believe in doing things right the first time–pay attention to details with the goal of avoiding mistakes in the first place.
This is important because quality is the core of any successful business. One cannot attain the best of quality if attention to details – the meticulous approach— is missing. To be meticulous, you have to be diligent and be focused. Small things make a big difference in terms of quality.
I am one of the software project leads for Ford programs in Cockpit Systems and am responsible for the customer interaction, requirement gathering, planning and managing the software development. A meticulous approach is critical in my role and throughout the product development process.”
— Shashidhar Krishnamurthy, Cockpit Systems
JoAnna McCulloch from our DENSO Corporate Communication team sat down with Vice President of Quality Yoshihiro “James” Tsuzuki to talk Quality Month. Hear his perspectives on how to bring positive change and good quality to your work area every day.
DENSO, and our affiliate Michigan Automotive Compressor Inc. (MACI), were honored as top-performing global suppliers for Ford Motor Company at the 20th Annual World Excellence Awards. Only 30 companies were selected as finalists from thousands of Ford suppliers globally.
“I would like to extend my personal congratulations to DENSO and its associates, the entire MACI team and the Ford sales team for achieving this award. At DENSO, our core focus is producing and developing high-quality, innovative products and technologies that address the changes happening within the automotive industry while exceeding customers’ expectations,” said Thomas Esser, vice president, Global Ford Sales, DENSO.
DENSO was awarded Ford’s World Excellence Award for Quality. MACI was recognized for the third time, receiving the Gold World Excellence Award for excelling in the categories of Cost, Quality, and Delivery. MACI manufactures automotive air conditioning compressors with magnetic clutch for Ford and other customers like Honda, GM, Chrysler and Toyota. As the main component of the air conditioning system, MACI’s compressors play an integral role in keeping drivers and passengers comfortable in warm weather.
“Every associate in MACI works toward one goal – to satisfy our customers,” said Joe Shaughnessy, General Manager, Business Planning, Human Resources, Information Systems, Production Control at MACI. “This is our top priority. It is so gratifying to receive such an elite award that recognizes our team’s collective efforts.”
About Michigan Automotive Compressor Inc.
Established in 1989, Michigan Automotive Compressor Inc. (MACI) is a joint-venture between Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO) and DENSO Corporation. It is the largest manufacturing employer in Jackson County, with over 1 million square feet, and more than 1,050 associates. MACI sells approximately 6 million compressors of all types each year, for many of the world’s most popular vehicles. GM and FCA-Chrysler are the largest customers by volume. Ford, Toyota, Honda, Freightliner and John Deere also are customers.
Jesus Abdiel Juarez Ortega, technician from DENSO Mexico, took to the stage all by himself at this year’s WorldSkills Competition, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in October. He was carrying the Mexican flag proudly as the only representative from his country and for DENSO in North America.
“It all started as a project at work,” said Juarez. “DENSO asked people to participate in this competition, and the only requirement was that you had to be able to measure. I was looking at it as a way to progress my career. After an intense selection process, Juarez embarked on a grueling training process, which included 12-13 hours of training per day, more than three months spent at a training center in Japan, and one month in Thailand. He even learned Japanese to prepare for his trip! In the end, Juarez came out on top with a new perspective, approach to work and role at DENSO. Juarez is now a coach for others who want to improve their skills or prepare for a future WorldSkills.
What’s WorldSkills
Established in 1946, WorldSkills is a premier world event for skills recognition and advancement, helping to raise quality, promote professional development and drive improvements in vocational training. It’s an “Olympics” for young professionals to test their skills and compete in various categories, including information and communication technology, manufacturing and engineering, transportation and logistics, and others.
DENSO At WorldSkills
DENSO has participated in the WorldSkills Competition since 1971. To date, DENSO associates have won 32 gold medals, 16 silver medals, and 15 bronze medals. This year, DENSO participants from Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Mexico competed in eight categories, taking home a gold medal and bronze medal.
Nearly 200 associates from locations throughout our region gathered on historic Mackinac Island, Michigan, for this year’s North America Quality Circle Competition (NAQCC). While the island doesn’t allow cars, DENSO teams across North America presented innovative ways to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of our manufacturing processes and automotive parts.
Teams spent time learning from one another, networking, and even found time to make a community impact—assembling and decorating superhero capes for Camp Quality Michigan, an organization that provides free summer camp and support services to children battling cancer.
This year, NAQCC teams saved DENSO a total of $2,110,264!