Safety

We are pleased to share that DENSO is sponsoring SAE International’s 2021 WCX Digital Summit, taking place April 13-15. The sponsorship helps DENSO connect with industry leaders, while advancing the conversation of how the automotive world can create safer and more sustainable mobility through innovation and working together.

DENSO’s presence at this year’s show will include:

• A keynote presentation titled, “Edge Computing in ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems),” on Wednesday, April 14, 11-11:30 a.m. ET. Roger Berg, vice president of North America Research and Development at DENSO, will discuss connectivity’s increasing role in mobility ecosystems.
• A panel called, “Leadership Summit: Evolution of the Vehicle Architecture,” on Tuesday, April 13, 4:15-5:30 p.m. ET. Mike Murzyn, vice president of Engineering in DENSO’s mobility products group, will discuss among others the growing need for collaboration in vehicle development as they become more complex.

To register, go here: https://bit.ly/3e19GpU

“I look forward to not only sharing how edge computing contributes to intelligent transportation systems, but also learning from other presenters about how they’re tackling our industry’s biggest issues,” said Berg. “SAE WCX is always a great give and take, underscoring the need for all of us to leverage each other’s strengths to make mobility cleaner, safer and more efficient.”

This year’s event arrives as DENSO is recommitting to its two great causes: “Green” – acting environmentally friendly – and “Peace of Mind” – creating seamless and safe mobility for all. This is part of Reborn 21, the company’s internal plan to build a leaner and more robust corporate structure and respond flexibly to new market needs. It will also propel DENSO toward its Long-term Policy 2030, focused on enriching mobility and the well-being of society.

Beyond 2030, DENSO aims to become carbon neutral by 2035. To accomplish this, the company is focusing on three areas: manufacturing, mobility products and energy use. DENSO has already begun the effort, recently launching its first CO₂ plant at its Anjo Electrification Center in Japan to capture and recycle carbon and help power the facility.

Today, our global headquarters announced we have developed products for Advanced Drive, an advanced driver assistance technology featured on the new Lexus LS and the new Toyota Mirai. Both vehicles, and our new technology, will be on the road this month!

Advanced driver assistance technologies are essential to helping drivers safely operate vehicles. The products that we have developed will support drivers on expressways and other motor-vehicle-only roadways, allowing the Advanced Drive system to detect hazardous situations, make decisions and assist driving under the driver’s supervision.

With these new products, we will contribute to advanced driver assistance technology that gives peace of mind to occupants and improves the safety of vehicles. They are part of our broader commitment to developing mobility technologies that help create safe and flexible mobility for drivers and pedestrians alike.

To learn more about the advanced driver assistance technologies we’re contributing, follow this link: https://bit.ly/3s4vmGS

President & CEO Ken Ito wishes you a happy and healthy winter holiday!

Protect you, family and friends this holiday season by following the 5 core safety actions:

1. Monitor your health: Check your temperature regularly, stay home and quarantine when you’re feeling sick
2. Social distance: Steer clear of crowds and confined spaces. Keep 6 feet distance to avoid close contact with others.
3. Wear a face covering: When going out in public or seeing others outside your home, properly cover your nose and mouth with a face covering.
4. Disinfect: Start and finish with a clean work area. In the home, frequently clean commonly used areas, surfaces, light switches, door handles, etc.
5. Wash and sanitize hands frequently: Wash with soap and water for 20 seconds frequently throughout the day.

Happy Holidays!

As part of our continued celebration of Manufacturing Month, we hosted a panel discussion this week on the value of safety, health and environment (SHE) practices in the workplace.

Shawn Bryant (Maryville, Tenn.), Ryan Hodges (Maryville, Tenn.), Jody Smith (Battle Creek, Mich.) and Steve Graham (Battle Creek, Mich.) chatted about DENSO’s SHE practices, explaining how our facilities across the country have adapted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The DENSO Spirit tenant of collaboration has been critical during this time, as we’ve all come together to create safer, stronger work environments. Though some processes have changed, one thing remains the same – DENSO is committed to protecting people’s lives, the communities we operate in, and the facilities that our employees work in. 

You can watch their conversation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4ZTth7qdwg 

We also hosted panels on Robotics, Women in Manufacturing and Skilled Trades. To view these webinars, click the links below:

• Robotics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOJd0UhqY
• Women in Manufacturing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbQk9wM2fN4
• Skilled Trades: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8YTa6HamnY

One of DENSO’s values is to treat everyone as if they are family. That’s why our Safety Core pillars – safe management, safe manufacturing and safe people – are so critical to helping us all mitigate the risk of COVID-19 transmission, whether you’re at work or at home with your loved ones. #DENSOSafetyFirst

First responders and health care workers are saving lives every day – so can you. Your family, your friends, your neighbors – you have the power to protect them.

Practicing the 5 Core Actions for Risk Minimization in and outside of the workplace can help reduce risk of spreading or contracting the COVID-19 virus at work, at home and in our communities.

So, who drives your 5? Who are you committed to protect every day by practicing the 5 Core Actions – monitoring your health, social distancing, wearing a face covering, disinfecting, and practicing good hygiene?

Show us Who Drives your 5:

Grab your mask and take a selfie of you and the loved one(s) you’re protecting!

• Your loved ones don’t need to physically be with you to take the selfie (we’re all about social distancing!) – take a selfie of you FaceTiming with your loved ones, holding up their photo, or write their name on a piece of paper. Show us who you’re protecting in your own unique way.
• Submit your story by using #DENSOSafetyFirst and tag DENSO North America on social media:

Facebook (@DENSOinNorthAmerica)

LinkedIn (@DENSO)

Twitter (@DENSOinNA)

Instagram(@DENSOnorthamerica).

• If you’d prefer to share your stories by email, you can send submissions to DENSOspirit@outlook.com

We’ll share a roundup of your photos and stories every week on social media and internal channels.

If you need it, here are some helpful tips for posting your Spirit stories on social media:

• Use #DENSOSafetyFirst and tag DENSO North America on its appropriate social channel
• Set your post’s privacy settings to public
  • After you create your post, click on the drop-down box opposite the News Feed text
  • From the drop-down box, select ‘Public’ when promoted “Who should see this?”
  • Click post!
• Photos or videos welcomed
• Include your loved one’s name, and why they drive your 5

View more details about the 5 Core Actions for Risk Minimization in the DENSO Risk Minimization Toolkit

You have the power to stop the spread! Practicing simple safety precautions inside and outside of work protects yourself, your families, and your community from COVID-19.  #DENSOSafetyFirst #WorkSmartPlaySmart

There is no such thing as a perfectly safe environment, but what you can do is reduce the risk as much as possible – Andris Staltmanis, Business Lead of DENSO’s Thermal Systems group shares how we mitigate risks to help create a safe working environment. #DENSOSafetyFirst

Bethany from our production floor shares why she feels safe at work. #DENSOSafetyFirst

#WorkSmartPlaySmart to keep the auto industry moving. Do your part at home and in public to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by following SMART COVID-19 personal safety practices  #DENSOSafetyFirst (Thanks MICHauto) 

Thank you for supporting DENSO’s commitment to Safety First. We know this is not an ideal situation and we appreciate you following our safety precautions at work. Outside of work, please remember that social distancing and face coverings protect the health of your family, your friends, your colleagues and your company. 

We’re coming up on a holiday weekend and know this is a time for many of you to vacation & relax. Please remember to put Safety First. Your actions can protect or harm so many others for a long time to come. #staysafe #DENSOSafetyFirst

As DENSO increases production, employee safety remains our number one priority. Not all employees are headed back to the office or plant all at once, but each DENSO location has worked hard to follow local government orders and safety protocols, and put specialized measures in place that will protect everyone on site. See how we’re putting the health and safety of our employees first while supporting the industry restart!

DENSO will continue to use its Risk Minimization Toolkit and phased Return-to-Work Protocol across its North America locations. For all of DENSO’s responses to COVID-19, click here.

On Sept. 8, DENSO once again held DENSO Group Safety Day to reinforce its commitment to safety and remember the 1969 explosion at the Anjo plant, which resulted in the deaths of six people.

Since that tragic event, DENSO has implemented policies, departments, standards, systems, initiatives and more – all focused on safety. Today, safety is engrained in the way we work together as One DENSO, the DENSO Spirit and a foundational component to reaching the goals outlined in our Long-term Policy.

A shining example of this safety mindset was celebrated at DENSO Manufacturing Arkansas on Sept. 5. During the celebration, associates were honored for reaching a tremendous milestone – 7 million hours without a lost-time work incident.

And how did they achieve such an amazing accomplishment? Having a “Safety First” mindset from the first time an associate walks in the door, according to Stephanie Patterson, RN at DENSO Manufacturing Arkansas.

From the moment an associate begins the onboarding process for their career at DENSO in Arkansas, a variety of safety topics are addressed. But it’s not only the importance of safety that is discussed, it’s the importance of a collaborative effort to make safety a priority. Everyone at every level is responsible, whether they are part of the Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) team or not.

“Safety is always evolving – it changes every day. We have to rely on our associates’ information and experiences to ensure we are addressing all safety issues or potential concerns,” explained Patterson.

When an associate identifies something wrong or safety related, they immediately report it to the SHE team, who instantly addresses the concern. Every incident, regardless of the size, is documented, investigated and results are communicated to associates. This not only creates a respected and valued relationship between all levels and disciplines, but reinforces that safety is not just something they talk about, it’s something they live.

“Our daily job is to keep the plant a safe and healthy working environment for everyone here,” Patterson added.

Safety is a critical part of our future. Productivity, efficiency, technology development, talent attraction/retention, competitiveness – all rely on safety in some way. For example, we can’t be efficient if work stops due to ongoing safety issues. And, we won’t retain talent if they don’t have a safe environment to work in.

So, let’s congratulate our DENSO Arkansas team on 7 million hours (and cheer them on to 10 million!), and ensure that we all do everything we can to create a safe environment for ourselves and those around us.

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:

As Safety Day/Month 2018 approaches, I want to remind everyone why DENSO is so committed to safety in the workplace. Forty-nine years ago, on September 8, there was an explosion at our ANJO facility that ultimately resulted in the tragic deaths of six DENSO associates.

Ever since, DENSO has made safety the foundation of everything we do. We are creating products and technologies that are advancing driver safety for everyone, but, just as important, we aim to set the industry standard in workplace safety for all our employees. This is why it is imperative that within our R&D Engineering team we have a continuous safety mindset.

What I mean by this is that no matter where you are or what you are doing, you are conscious of your safety and the safety of your co-workers. That you’re thinking about how to protect yourself and others. In an office, in a test lab, in our parking lot, in a manufacturing plant or at a customer site, we all must take ownership to ensure the safety for ourselves and those around us.

At DENSO, we implement safety processes and best practices, follow global safety standards, and require extensive training and reporting, but I believe in my heart that our associates keeping a continuous safety mindset is one of our greatest differentiators. Knowing we’re all coming to a safe place to work is what motivates us to continue to help shape a future where people can enjoy freedom of mobility with peace of mind.

In honor of Safety Day/Month on September 8, please consider how you can continuously promote safety for you and your associates every day. If you witness a dangerous or unsafe working environment, please communicate that immediately to your colleagues and supervisor.

Bill Foy

Senior Vice President of Engineering, DIAM

By now you’ve had a chance to read the letter from our North American CEO Kenichiro Ito in reference to DENSO Safety Day.

I hope each of you take the time to reflect on the tragic event of September 8, 1969, when an explosion at the ANJO Plant resulted in six fellow DENSO Associates losing their lives.

This was the worst accident in DENSO’s history, and as a result, DENSO made a commitment that SAFETY would be the foundation for everything we do.

As we reflect on the tragedy and honor those who lost their lives, I ask all Associates – regardless of position, title or location – to re-affirm your commitment to safety and pledge to maintain a strong Safety First mindset in all that we do.

DENSO is growing in North America and Associates are joining our DENSO family weekly. Many of these are without extensive industrial experience. While practicing Safety First for ourselves, we must also teach new team members that safety is paramount in all we do.

Any interaction between an Associate and a piece of equipment will 100% favor the equipment. Don’t take this chance… ever. Use a tool to interact, not your body.

In recent years, several DENSO customers and other global sites have experienced contractor fatalities.  We must ensure that all contractors and visitors at our companies understand our expectation of Safety First and that they strictly adhere to our rules and regulations.

I thank each Associate for their efforts in keeping Safety First at DENSO. Working together, we have accomplished many challenges and achieved many goals. However, we cannot relax at any time.

Remember that good safety practices – in everything we do – protect not only you, but also your family.

Jack Helmboldt

Executive Director of DNJP, and Manufacturing and Mobility Systems Business of North America

Safety Day: September 8, 2018

DENSO Associates,

Many of you may know the story of the ANJO tragedy which occurred on September 8, 1969. Every year we come together to remember those we lost at ANJO and to re-affirm our commitment to providing a safe place to work for our associates.

Briefly, I would like to share what happened at ANJO.

A die-casting operation at the ANJO facility exploded. In those days there was little understanding on the nature of combustible aluminum dust. Twelve associates were injured. Unfortunately, six DENSO associates would lose their lives in the days that followed. Each of these associates was very young and had their whole lives in front of them. Their deaths impacted many people.

As a result of this tragic incident, DENSO made a commitment that SAFETY would be the foundation for everything that we do.

As CEO and your leader for DENSO in North America, my personal commitment for safety is that I promote our safety first mind and reinforce safety first management in NA.

Why should DENSO promote safety first mind activity?

It’s because we are all members of the DENSO family.

I want to stress that the safety first mind promotion activity is not just for our company.

It is for YOU, and your family and your friends.

If you have an accident at work and hurt yourself, you feel pain and may become depressed.

Your family and your friends may feel sad and unhappy to see your face.

DENSO considers associates as members of the DENSO family, so all DENSO management has a responsibility to protect our DENSO family from injury, when we work in a DENSO factory or office.

As you know, DENSO has many procedures and rules to protect associates from safety accidents. Please have the right understanding of the reason why we have many rules and the necessity to follow the rules.

And, if you find a dangerous operation or an unsafe working environment, please feel free to communicate with your coworkers and managers.

With associates and management working together to make DENSO a safe place to work, we can develop a culture of SAFETY that we all can be proud of!

Today, we declare in remembrance of those we have lost, that September 2018, is both a period of reflection and of rededication to our central mission to be safe.

Please – Always be safe!!

Kenichiro (Ken) Ito

President & CEO, DENSO International America, Inc.

Chairman of DENSO’s North America Board of Directors

Road traffic crashes account for approximately 1.25 million fatalities every year, and about 500 child fatalities every day. To help reduce auto crashes where DENSO’s more than 23,000 North American employees live and work, the global automotive supplier, together with Safe Kids Worldwide, co-created a comprehensive roadmap encouraging employees to spread safe driving habits: the Road Safety Associate Toolkit.

The 41-page document offers safety tips, infographics, activity sheets, and other materials to assist associates in making their communities safer for kids. The Toolkit has three sections: In and Around Cars; Pedestrian Safety, and Bike Safety.

The Toolkit includes tips on installing car seats and avoiding heatstroke, advice for parents on talking to teen drivers, ways to prevent kids from being distracted while walking near roadways, and Halloween safety precautions. It also provides contact information for local Safe Kid coalitions, an action plan to make school zones safer, other online resources, and social media posts.

“Safe Kids Worldwide has been laser focused on preventing childhood injuries for almost 30 years, and we’ve made a lot of progress toward keeping kids safe,” said Torine Creppy, president of Safe Kids Worldwide. “But we can do even more by partnering with the associates of DENSO. We’re confident that our joint initiative can help to reduce the number traffic crashes and protect our children.”

DENSO is also hosting safety events throughout the country to help educate community members about child safety on the road. May marks the company’s Global Safety Month, which will focus on celebrating DENSO’s work to produce the latest vehicle safety technology and further educating drivers and pedestrians about how to reduce auto accidents.

To download the Toolkit:

Click on the Download button above this article to view and save the toolkit.

About Safe Kids Worldwide

Safe Kids Worldwide is a nonprofit organization working to protect kids on the road, at home and at play. Preventable injuries are the number one cause of death for children in the United States. Throughout the world, almost one million children die of an injury each year, and almost every one of these tragedies is preventable. Safe Kids works with an extensive network of more than 400 coalitions in the U.S. and with partners in more than 33 countries to reduce traffic injuries, drownings, falls, burns, poisonings and more. Since 1988, Safe Kids has helped reduce the U.S. childhood death rate from unintentional injury by 60 percent. Working together, we can do much more to protect kids. Join our effort at safekids.org.

Congratulations to DENSO’s team in Osceola, Arkansas, for taking home the 4 Million Man Hour Safety Award!

DENSO Manufacturing Arkansas was recognized by the Arkansas Department of Labor, Arkansas Insurance Department, and Arkansas Workers Compensation Commission for more than 4 million hours of work without an accident, injury, or illness between June 15, 2013 and January 31, 2017.

Thanks, Arkansas team, for your commitment to safety!

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.