Health care workers battling COVID-19 need our support more than ever. That’s why DENSO’s doing its part by donating nearly 2,000 N95 masks to hospitals in Michigan and North Carolina.

“As the COVID-19 outbreak proliferates, DENSO is continuously evaluating ways it can help reduce the spread of the virus,” said Kenichiro Ito, executive officer of DENSO Corporation and chief executive officer of DENSO’s North American headquarters. “This donation is a small representation of our tremendous appreciation and gratitude for those who need these masks the very most. We commend the selfless health care workers who are on the front lines responding to the virus.”

Our North American headquarters in Southfield, Michigan, is providing over 1,600 of the respirators to Ascension Providence Hospital-Southfield while our thermal manufacturing facility in Battle Creek is giving 300 to Bronson Battle Creek Hospital.

The DENSO team in Greenville, North Carolina, also is donating a small number of the masks to Vident Medical Center, based locally.

DENSO locations across North America, which have already enacted stringent safety measures to help protect our associates, are currently looking into additional opportunities with industry and government partners in which we can further support the broader fight against COVID-19.

We thank you all for your support and patience during this challenging time. It is because of your resilience and flexibility that we will all get through this, together. We will share more updates as they are available.

DENSO was recognized as a Silver Level Veteran Friendly Employer by the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) on Wednesday, October 25 at our Battle Creek, Michigan location.

Of the 338 employers and organizations involved in the Veteran-Friendly Employer program, only 8 percent have achieved the Silver-Level honor!

“We recognize the sacrifices military veterans have made for our country, and we’re honored to serve them in return by helping them build fulfilling careers,” said Kevin Carson, president of DENSO’s Battle Creek facility, and a U.S. Navy veteran. “The experience and skills veterans bring to DENSO’s workforce are invaluable, as their unique backgrounds and talents give us the fresh perspective needed to grow. We are thrilled to achieve Silver-Level status as a Veteran-Friendly Employer and will always seek new ways to further attract and support those who have served our country.”

To qualify as a Silver Level Veteran Friendly Employer, DENSO in Battle Creek (DMMI) implemented onboarding, community outreach and other support programs for veterans and active duty military employees.

DENSO’s thermal manufacturing facility in Battle Creek has nearly 200 military-veteran employees and continuously seeks to integrate and support veterans in its workforce. If you are a veteran, or interested in supporting our veterans, contact Jack Carlsen or Cindy Dawson, co-chairs of the DENSO Veterans Network, to get involved.

How did an elementary school teacher end up in the world of automotive? Barbara Tamura, Exec. Admin. to Sr. VP Sales, Operations, Strategic Planning & Marketing at DENSO Products and Services Americas, Inc., taught in inner city schools in Los Angeles for 10 years before deciding she needed a change.

Barbara always loved cars, so she looked for opportunities working for Nissan, Infiniti and Mitsubishi, before finally finding her home at DENSO. In 10 years, she’s gained extensive experience and taken on new roles and responsibilities.

Her newest assignment? A mentor to the JetStream FIRST Robotics Competition Team #2710.

JetStream isn’t your average FIRST team, and Barbara isn’t your average FIRST mentor. Finding one another has not only helped the team win championships, it’s also helped Barbara, and the DENSO team, share their passion for STEM and strengthen their local community.

We spoke with Barbara to learn more.

How did you connect with this team?

The opportunity fell out of nowhere and into my lap! It all started when my mother came with me to a DENSO holiday party last year. Later at church, my mom bragged about DENSO, our technology and expertise in robotics. My mother’s friend told her granddaughter, Lauren, about what we do because of Lauren’s love for robotics. From there, Lauren saw an opportunity and told her FIRST team about DENSO, which speaks to the power of word of mouth and being involved in your community.

Lauren’s team had recently split off from their local high school and instead was part of a community team made up of kids from around the area. Lauren wrote me a letter requesting DENSO’s support. Without backing from a school, corporate sponsorship was the only way for the group to stick together and compete.

Why did you decide to become a mentor for FIRST Robotics?
This opportunity filled a personal goal of mine to help youth in my community. Mentoring the team also aligns with two of DENSO’s long-term goals that are important to me – to contribute to a better world by creating value together, and to bring hope for the future of our planet, society, and all people.

What is the most rewarding part of being a mentor?
Seeing the enthusiasm and dedication our team put into building their robot, and despite challenges – they won! My team ended up in 1st place at the Long Beach/LA Port Fleet Week Competition. The team also recently qualified for the World Championships in Houston in April. Their ticket was punched by winning the Los Angeles Regional competition along with its alliance partners Beach Bots #330 and Robot Dolphins from Outer Space #5199. I’m so proud of them.

I also loved seeing them smile and jump up when I shared that I would continue to be their mentor and DENSO was donating $5,000 along with some equipment, which will enable the team to stay and compete together for one more year.

Why are mentors so important for FIRST Robotics teams?
This question brings me back to my teaching days. Supporting youth involved in STEM-based activities helps them succeed and teaches them that goals are easier to achieve through teamwork and collaboration. Mentors give young kids confidence, independence and a feeling of safety, which are primary steps that lead to learning.

As mentors, DENSO can teach teams about engineering, analytics, problem-solving, marketing, artificial intelligence and so much more, and help nurture their interest in these areas.

Would you recommend more DENSO associates mentor teams?
Absolutely! Mentoring helps DENSO’s reputation in many ways. It demonstrates our corporate citizenship and community responsibility and reinforces our brand with a new generation of kids.

More importantly, these youth teams are our future job talent pool. The team I mentor is exceptional and crazy about STEM. Many will go on to pursue engineering in college and I would love to see them at DENSO someday as part of our global team.

Learn more about DENSO’s involvment in FIRST Robotics here.

Over 100 middle school girls participated in the Society of Women Engineers Corporate Engineering Challenge at the Kalamazoo Air Zoo on Saturday, February 16, and DENSO was there to support them.

DENSO was an event sponsor and several engineers and members of the DENSO Women’s Network were on hand to help. Volunteers shared the fun of math and science career options at DENSO by showing off Travbot, a cobot our engineers programmed to play Tic Tac Toe.

In addition to corporate sponsor activity like Travbot, participants also took on an engineering challenge in the afternoon. Teams competed in the “Moon Landing and Exploration” engineering challenge. Team DENSO mentors Sara Rodriguez and Sidd Arora, both Total Industrial Engineering engineers, guided their team to create a device that simulated landing on the moon followed by exploring the moon’s surface.

“It was fun to watch the girls get excited about the technology,” said Rachel Thole, Advanced Condenser Process Engineer, who coordinated the event. “I enjoyed networking with other companies and being out in the community.”

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!