DENSO associates can enjoy GM employee pricing from June 1 – July 5, 2023 toward the purchase or lease of one (1) eligible new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac Vehicle.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE

Current/active DENSO associates at U.S. group company locations

HOW TO ACCESS THE OFFER

• Current/active DENSO associates will need to “sign-in/register” to their individual GM Supplier Discount Program accounts at www.gmsupplierdiscount.com/soty  (website available on June 1)
• When creating a new account, you will need DENSO’s unique company code: 843043
• Select the offer from the program menu “+2022 Supplier of the Year Employee Discount Pricing”
• Authorization number must be obtained between June 1 – July 5, 2023.  The offer for employee pricing will not be available before June 1 or after July 5, 2023.

What to provide to a participating dealer:

• Inform dealer of the Supplier of the Year Employee Discount offer before taking delivery

• Bring your authorization code
• Bring your Driver’s License, Company ID Badge or current paystub with earnings information redacted

The company code (843043), program flyer, and handout provide the necessary information to setup your GM Supplier Discount account and receive your 2022 Supplier of the Year Employee Discount Pricing.

THANK YOU ASSOCIATES!

This offer is available to DENSO for achieving GM’s 2022 Supplier of the Year Award. The Supplier of the Year award recognizes distinguished global suppliers that exceed GM’s requirements, in turn providing GM customers with innovative technologies and among the highest quality in the automotive industry. Thank you to all our associates for this outstanding accomplishment!

Click on the link below to view the map.

Associate Event Map 

Tech Center Tour & Tech Showcase

DN2-1 

DN2-2

DN3-1

DN3-2

DN4-1

Autonomous Drive Route 

If you signed-up to ride, please check-in where it says “Autonomous Vehicle Ride Experience”, between buildings DN2 and DN3. 

Global President Arima Visit – Meeting Locations 

Click here for directions on how to get to the Special Director’s & Above Meeting Location

https://www.densomedia-na.com/wp-content/uploads/Application-requirement·Format.pdf

As you know, Kronos has been hit by a cyber attack and is currently unavailable. Kronos is used for timekeeping (hours worked, PTO, leave, etc.) at DMAR, DMAT, DMTN, DLNT, DMCN, DSCN, and all DMMI and DPAM locations.

Associates do not need to reset their password – Kronos is unavailable. Unfortunately, we are not sure when Kronos will have the situation resolved for the global companies, including DENSO, that use their timekeeping system.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

TEMPORARY SYSTEM

In response to the Kronos issue, DENSO is implementing a temporary system for timekeeping called Homebase. Homebase is a simple software application that allows non-exempt associates and team leaders to enter their time clock in/out.

• This temporary process is for non-exempt associates and team leaders only. This includes office non-exempt associates.
• Managers of Exempt associates will need to enter their associates’ exceptions (PTO, leave) into EPIQS. Exempt associates should notify their manager of exceptions.
• Temporary associates at DMMI will need to use the attached paper form to track their time, and their managers will have to enter their time into EPIQS.
• Temporary associates at all other impacted sites will follow established process through their agency.

RECORD YOUR TIME

There are 2 methods for non-exempt and team leaders to capture time worked, starting Monday, Dec. 20.

1) Homebase App or Web:

• Notification from Homebase: If you have an email (personal or work) or cell number saved in Oracle, you may have received a link to join the Homebase system. The email will come from <info@joinhomebase.com>. This is a legitimate email. Please check your phone or email (personal and/or work) to see if you received this.
  • If you deleted the text, you can follow the instructions attached to download the Homebase app.
  • If you deleted the email, search their trash for an email from Homebase.

• Request Access: If you did not receive an email from Homebase, click here to go to Microsoft Forms. From here, you will have to enter the following information in order to request access to Homebase:
  • Name
  • Company Location
  • Associate ID/Clock Number
  • Email/Cell Phone
    • Email will give you access to a web version of Homebase or mobile app. The email will come from <info@joinhomebase.com>. This is a legitimate email.
    • Cell will give you a link to download the Homebase Mobile App
    • You can enter either one, or both.

Within a few hours, you will receive either link via email or text via cell to access Homebase web or mobile app.

You must receive an email or text notification from Homebase in order to access the system.

If you are having issues logging into Homebase, contact Team Member Solutions (Associate Relations).

2) Paper Time Tracking:

If you do not want to use Homebase, you can continue to use a paper tracking form – attached. Associates will have to sign-off on the paper form and give to their leader for approval.

DOCUMENTS

• Instructions on How to Install the Homebase App
  • If you have not received a Homebase email or text for the app, you will have to enter your information here in order to register for access to the app.
• Instructions on How to Use Homebase
• Paper Time Tracking Form

All of these documents are available from your Chain of Command, Team Member Solutions (Associate Relations), and Accounting. They are also available on DENSO Mobile, DENSO Online, and DENSO Portal.

We understand this is a difficult situation for everyone. We have teams working around the clock to put a temporary solution in place. But, we can get through it together if we collaborate and support each other. Thank you again for your cooperation and patience.  

DENSO has a long-time commitment to the environment as demonstrated through our 20 years of EcoVision and recently announced target to become Carbon Neutral.

This year, for the 51st Earth Day, DENSO encourages all associates to take action to help the environment. Whether small or big changes, every action is important.

5 Ways you Can Help the Earth:

• Bring a bag with you to pick up trash while enjoying the outdoors
• Reduce your use of single-use plastics (https://www.earthday.org/plastic-pollution-calculator-2/)
• Compost food waste
• Change your paper bills to online billing. You’ll be saving trees and the fuel it takes to deliver your bills by truck
• Become a citizen scientist with your cellphone (https://www.earthday.org/campaign/global-earth-challenge/)

Click here for more tips and actions that help the Earth.

Green DENSO Activities

Shoutout to our DENSO associates across North America who are organizing events for environmental awareness and action!

DENSO Manufacturing Michigan

The Environmental Department team is at main entrances this morning with pledges regarding water, waste and energy/greenhouse gases – associates can sign to pledge their commitment to help improve our environment.

DMMI is also supporting two (2) volunteer events, encouraging associates to help out in the local community: City of Battle Creek Linear Park Clean-up on April 24, and Adopt-a-Highway Volunteer Clean-up which was held April 17.

DENSO Manufacturing Canada

DMCN is hosting a challenge for DENSO families, challenging kids to build a DENSO robot using only recycled materials from home. The Robot Building Contest runs through April 28.

Share what you’re doing!

Let us know in the Comments how you’re spreading environmental awareness or taking action to help our Earth.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) officially opened its new Mechatronics Lab on March 31. DENSO Robotics was on hand to donate three robots and software to advance education in this rapidly growing engineering field.

“We need more students interested in engineering and technology,” said National Sales Manager David Robers, DENSO Robotics. “This is the perfect way for us to encourage that and help labs like these grow the next generation of engineers.”

Mechatronics combines electrical and mechanical engineering degrees. Robotic design, programming and maintenance are key study areas of the program.

“The industry is changing from traditional manufacturing to an industry 4.0 environment,” said Dean Daniel Pack, UTC College of Engineering and Computer Science. “Mechatronics is a new discipline that teaches students to prepare for those types of careers.”

DENSO Robotics donated two COBOTTAs for the lab, as well as the latest high-speed VMB six-axis robot. A COBOTTA is a human-friendly, compact and collaborative six-axis robot that can be taken anywhere and automate tasks quickly.

“Having these labs integrates all aspects of engineering and you can see how it all relates to each other,” said Erin Watson, mechatronics senior. “We definitely need relationships like what we have with DENSO Robotics, and we can’t thank them enough.”

DENSO Robotics plans to donate more than a dozen robots in 2021 to community tech and state university partners to excite future engineers and highlight advancements with the technology.

Learn more about DENSO Robotics here. And to see our roundup of the lab’s grand opening, watch this video.

Some of our employees have watched us grow from the ground up. Linda Huber, Senior Talent Management Consultant at our Southfield, Mich. facility, started her career with us 1985 – that was before we had even built our North American plants! Here’s what Linda had to say about her experience:

“I started my career with DENSO 35 years ago – and I had no idea who Nippondenso was! When I started with the company, there were no more than 30 associates, and no North American plants. Now, we have more than 1,600 employees on our campus, and manufacturing locations throughout North America.

I worked hard, and continued to move into new higher level positions. I felt I was respected and had the resources to continue my development within the company. Many things have changed as we’ve grown, but quality and teamwork are still incredibly important. No matter what the project is, we never lack for people working together to get it done. Personally, I never hesitate to collaborate with anybody, even if it’s on a project outside my area of expertise.

My advice to employees joining DENSO is this: If you work hard, the possibilities are endless. Be a team player, good communicator and follow the DENSO Spirit!”

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

Today, our global headquarters announced that we have begun testing a CO₂ circulation plant at our Anjo Plant’s Electrification Innovation Center. The new plant will capture CO₂  generated by the plant and recycle it as an energy source for the facility, a capability that supports our efforts to eliminate CO₂ emissions from our facilities.

More broadly, this CO₂ circulation technology can also be applied to not only our production facilities, but to manufacturing sites around the world, which will help with efforts to achieve carbon neutrality.

The plant represents the latest initiative in our broader commitment to sustainability, and our Reborn 21 focus areas of “Green” and “Peace of Mind.”  With this, we continue to accelerate our efforts to achieve net-zero CO₂ emissions, or carbon neutrality, by 2035.

For more details on the new plant, and our commitment to sustainability, follow this link: https://www.denso.com/global/en/news/newsroom/2021/20210407-g01/

Today we announced DENSO is sponsoring and attending the National Society of Black Engineers’ (NSBE) 47^th Annual Convention, held virtually this year April 5-9. Our support is part of the company’s continued focus on improving diversity and inclusion (D&I) not just within our own walls, but across the automotive industry.

“Mobility is constantly evolving,” said Denise Carlson, vice president of DENSO’s North American Production Innovation Center and the company’s executive lead for D&I. “In order to meet its changing demands, we are building teams with people who have dynamic backgrounds and perspectives, which helps us innovate more quickly and create more impactful solutions. It’s why we’re at NSBE, and it’s crucial to our future success.”

During the event, we look to hire nearly 100 co-ops and interns for summer 2021, fall 2021 and spring 2022. Roles will be available at various DENSO locations, including our North American headquarters in Southfield, Michigan; our thermal manufacturing facility in Battle Creek, Michigan; and our manufacturing facilities in Osceola, Arkansas, and in Athens and Maryville, Tennessee. Know someone who might be interested? Send them here: https://bit.ly/3fcCHRI.

We also intend to hire participants for our IGNITE Program, a two-year rotational assignment that offers recent college graduates unique career development opportunities, virtually and in person, at different DENSO sites. These roles will be based in Southfield, Michigan; Plano, Texas; and Maryville, Tennessee. Direct those who might be a fit to this link: https://bit.ly/31B7bFi.

For more about our presence at this year’s event and why it’s important to creating more inclusive work environments, go here: https://bit.ly/3mqhO76

If you are looking for ways to recognize and support gender equality through activities surrounding Women’s History Month (WHM) or International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8, we’ve got information for you!

#ChooseToChallenge  

Participation is easy:

• Review the DENSO-selected challenge declarations below and choose one that speaks to you.

• Look for promotions at your site to get a card/sign, download from the IWD site, or make your own.
• Take a selfie with your declaration.
• Post your selfie to your personal social media account, using the hashtags #ChooseToChallenge and #IWD2021.
• Email your selfie to Communications@na.denso.com, so we can share some of your selfies on our TV system.

Need some inspiration? Click here to check out selfi​es from associates and leaders at DENSO Manufacturing Canada!

Other Activities 

In addition to the #ChooseToChallenge activity, sites have various activities planned for IWD and throughout the month. Here are some of the events; be sure to look for information on WHM and IWD activities at your local site and on the DENSO Mobile App calendar.

Tennessee 

• • Holding a panel discussion with local community leaders on March 8, 12-1pm ET. Contact Beth Rollins or April Banner for registration details.
  • Hosting a donation drive for kitchen, office and home items to benefit local women’s charities.

Canada 

• • • Encouraging associates to wear work-appropriate purple clothing to support IWD.
    • Conducing a raffle to benefit Girl Guides Canada; the company will match all funds raised.
    • Holding an IWD quiz with prizes for perfect scores and the teams with the highest participation.

Michigan 

• • Encouraging attendance at the Manufacturing Institute’s “Virtual STEP Forward” event on March 8, 1-2pm ET. To register and join the event, click here.
  • Hosting a DIAM Women’s Panel on March 22, 11:30am-12:30pm ET. To receive information, contact Lauren Lindell.
  • Holding a North America BRG Happy Hour on March 29, 4-5pm ET. To receive information, contact Lauren Lindell.

Mexico 

• • Hosting webinars (presented in Spanish) on March 8 and 10. For more information, check out this flier (in Spanish) or contact Ilse Simental or Edith Garza.
    • March 8, 5-6pm CT
      “Jugano en Grande” (Playing Big)
      Purpose: to motive and empower female workers to set big and challenging goals for personal and professional life.
    • March 10, 3-4pm CT
      “Lideres con Lipstick” (Leaders with Lipstick)
      Purpose: to motivate and empower young female students to set big dreams and develop their skills.

We look forward to seeing your selfies! 

Associates at DENSO Manufacturing Canada #ChoosetoChallenge  as part of International Women’s Day, calling out gender bias and inequality and celebrating women’s achievements.

A little over three years ago the HR legal team at DENSO Manufacturing Mexico wanted to establish a production line tailored to associates with a disability. So, with the help of DENSO HSE and a Mexican government organization that focuses on the needs of people with disabilities, the site began looking at studies and conducting trials to identify the specific disability that could safely and effectively be implemented in a production environment.

The group determined that a molding line for those with hearing impairments would work. Today, 14 associates with hearing disabilities work on the line, alongside associates with no hearing impairments. But it didn’t happen overnight. The HR legal team, along with plant leadership wanted to ensure that everyone was prepared and informed, so there was awareness training on non-discrimination and harassment for team leaders and associates. And to assist with communication outside of writing, team leaders and associates that would be working directly with the hearing-impaired associates learned basic sign language.

But it wasn’t just the people that adapted – some plant processes and systems had to be changed. For example, all plant safety and security measures are now visual – alarms/alerts are not auditory – and training on what each light means and what they need to do when they are activated was provided.

Admittedly there were some bumps along the way – getting everyone on board for new processes and mindsets took some time, and awareness training had to be expanded to people working in areas within the facility, such as the cantina, to ensure everyone was comfortable interacting with the hearing-impaired associates.

The line has successfully operated for more than a year and there are plans to not only expand the line to 20 associates, but establish lines, possibly for those with other disabilities, in other plants on the campus.

Congrats to the local DENSO HR legal team in Mexico for making this happen. It’s a great example of how everyone can work together to create a successful, thriving D&I culture at DENSO.

All photos were taken before the COVID-19 pandemic. During COVID-19, DENSO established and continues to maintain safety precautions at all of its locations, including the wearing of face coverings, social distancing and screenings.

Welcome to the team, Jami Carpenter! Jami recently joined DENSO’s North American team as a Production Control Specialist and is ready to put her strong work ethic into practice.

“I’m driven to want to do a good job,” said Jami. “I always want to learn and expand my capabilities into new areas, and I feel that DENSO creates great opportunities for me to do so.” 

Jami became a DENSO associate just as businesses across North America started adapting to combat the effects of COVID-19. While this created new challenges, Jami said that the most important thing to her was that she felt safe working at her facility. 

“I think DENSO is doing a great job at following all of the proper guidelines under the current circumstances. The temperature checks and mask requirements make me feel like it’s safe to walk into work every day.”

Even though it took some extra time to get onboarded remotely, Jami saw DENSO working hard to make her feel connected throughout the experience. Programs like Microsoft Teams and Web Ex have made her team meetings seamless. The DENSO Mobile app has also helped her stay informed on what is happening within her own facility, as well as within the entire company.

Get to know our new CEO of DENSO in North America and President of DENSO International America – Seiji “Scott” Maeda!

Tracey Wall

Human Resources Planning Lead

Transferred from Toyota Sales Department to North America Human Resources

It’s been just over one year since I made my internal transfer – it’s been a good and incredibly valuable experience for me. After spending 23 years in Sales, I was ready for a change; I wanted to find a new way to add value to DENSO. Since I had requested a change to another function, it took over a year to find something, but Sales and Corporate Function management were very supportive.

Though I was looking for a change, there was some fear in such a drastic transition. I was leaving a position where I was the go-to person for the customer. I knew the job and my value/contributions to the company. What exactly will I be doing in HR? What value would I be bringing to the new position and company now? How would I show my value/contributions quickly? There were a lot of questions – I wasn’t quite sure what I was signing up for.

But that’s when I remembered that I know DENSO and the values we all hold. Despite different divisions, plants or roles, we all have common, fundamental DENSO values and way of working. Yes, I had a lot of sales knowledge and contacts within DENSO throughout my career, but I realized this was not exclusive to the sales role – it would (and has been) helpful in my new planning role.

The HR team was great – they were very welcoming and showed me the ropes. But I’m a department of one, so I had to proactively insert myself into meetings and teams across NA. In my role I get exposure to many aspects of our business – I get to hear and understand the bigger picture and how executives discuss, consider and make decisions on various issues. I’ve appreciated this new insight into our company, it has given me new understanding about why and how things are done and ultimately, reinforced my respect for and dedication to DENSO.

My transfer has been an invaluable experience for me. I definitely miss the people in Toyota Sales and certain aspects of the job, but I’m enjoying my new department, have broadened my skill set and am contributing to the company in a new way. And as it turns out, my timing was great – joining HR right before a global pandemic, now THAT has been an incredible experience!

My Advice to You:

For those thinking of making a change, I have a couple pieces of advice:

• Don’t let fear or hesitation stop you – you will overcome it. I loved my sales department and team, but knew I was going into a department with good people. No matter where you go, there’s going to be people to support you and that you’ll enjoy working with.
• Don’t underestimate yourself. Just because you are in one function and will have to learn things in a new job, the DENSO fundamentals are the same.
• Do it for the right reasons.  Don’t look to make a major transition just because you’re not happy with one aspect of your job. Remember, the grass is not always greener – it is a different texture and shade of green.

Search for Open Internal Positions

• Go to densocareers.com
• Click “DENSO Employee”
• Login with your DSC-ID and Oracle Fusion password
• Search for open positions and apply!

The online internal application system only shows non-exempt and exempt office positions at this time. For all other positions, please view local job boards and follow the local application process.

When you know, you know. And when it comes to finding “the one,” you don’t let go. Just ask our many tenured associates. Through name changes, shifts in company direction and new, innovative technologies that advance mobility, our tenured associates have shown their DENSO Spirit every step of the way.

Karen Croly, who works within the purchasing department at DENSO’s Southfield facility, has been part of the DENSO family for more than four decades (wow!). She’s one of our longest-tenured associates to date. And while we could tell you all about Karen’s time at DENSO — how she’s grown her career, how her colleagues have become family (literally) — we thought who better to tell you about her experience than Karen herself. Here’s what she had to say:

“It was nearly 41 years ago (October 1979) when I went to Nippondenso (DENSO’s name back then!) for my first interview. I decided to go with DENSO because it was a smaller company and I wanted to grow with them and learn from other associates. DENSO was always a great place to be taught everything, from work product, processes and making friends for life.  

My first duties were secretary to the vice president and then for several Japanese men who worked for other companies (ASMO, Tokai-Rika, and Toyota Automatic Loom Works) but were housed at DENSO so they, too, could develop customer relations in the U.S. under the guidance of our first president, Akira Kataoka. I can’t say enough good things about Kataoka-san. He knew how to communicate and engage with people in every level of the job as well as his success with our customers. He was always approachable and willing to share to help develop DENSO and its associates.

I remember that one person in the office each week had to make coffee for everyone in the morning. When the afternoon rolled around, it was Akira Kataoka, our president, who made iced coffee for everyone who wanted it. It was just one example of how he made us more of a family than a workplace. 

From being a secretary to working with sales and engineering personnel through the years, I ended up in Purchasing, where we built our processes and plants in several locations around the country. By this time DENSO was a very large company, but the family atmosphere continued to thrive for many of us.

During my time at DENSO, I married my boyfriend, John, and we had two beautiful daughters, Jillian and Stephanie, and now I have a wonderful son-in-law, Nick. They have all been a big part of my work life and they, too, have developed friendships through my work. I even introduced a fellow co-worker to one of my nieces, and they have been married for many years and have two great boys. 

Our newer associates should remember a couple things. It is beneficial to be taught things that you can use at another time in your life. Keep an open mind and always enjoy your work. Learn to listen, but also be heard. Always make time for your family and friends, and keep a balance of your personal life and work. If you develop friends at work, then work is easier to handle. Show your personality to others and communicate with co-workers, as they, too, can become your friends. Your ideas are what make a better work environment and give success to our company. 

My work career will soon be coming to a close as retirement approaches. This year of the pandemic is difficult, as I miss seeing and engaging with people. We all became one big happy family at our local spots. I will greatly miss the work and so very many of the people I have worked with over the years.

Thank you.”

Global President Arima shares his New Year message with associates in a single Kanji: “Katsu”. President Arima explains three meanings behind the word:

1. Maximizing your energy
2. Inspiring each other
3. Liven up DENSO

This is his hope for DENSO and our associates in 2021!

Learn more in his video message, or click here to read an overview:

As we start 2021, we want to thank you for all your hard work and support this last year. We’re inspired every day by the DENSO Spirit our teams show, and we look forward to continuing to build a brighter future, together. 

Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy New Year!

Happy Holidays from DENSO-sponsored NHRA Pro Stock Motorcyclists Matt & Angie Smith!

Our team in Maryville, Tenn. just celebrated a major milestone: its 30-year anniversary! Join us in applauding them for decades of quality service and important contributions to the Volunteer State.

We recognized the achievement at a socially-distanced and digital-ready ceremony, where DENSO and state leaders highlighted the location’s significant impacts on DENSO, Blount County and the auto industry. Thank you, Maryville team for your DENSO Spirit, and here’s to 30 more.

Venkata Ravisankar Vadapalli (Ravi, for short), a technical lead for DENSO’s phone-as-a-key (PaaK) project, was laser focused on making the development process run effectively when the team of 15+ engineers were working remotely.

The PaaK project started in 2017 with the goal of replacing traditional car key fobs with a customer’s smartphone to start the vehicle. Pretty cool, right? 

While the first PaaK technology produced by DENSO entered the market in 2020, DENSO has continued to enhance the software. This is what Ravi’s team, BES2 (Body Electronic Systems2) Ford PaaK Team, was working on when COVID-19 hit.

Because of the work from home situation, the team was forced to use a very old tool that’s difficult to work with and slows down efficiency. Ravi oversaw switching the team to a different configuration tool, Github, to ensure they were able to deliver products on-pace and better contribute to the overall project.

This turned out to be more helpful than expected for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) customers who have dynamic change requests. Normally, timelines are very short and it can be difficult to manage (not to mention stressful for the team) if a process isn’t in place. Using Github helped streamline the process, improved response times and created happier associates. 

Thanks, Ravi and team, for not only getting creative and always putting the customer first, but living up to the DENSO Spirit that’s driven by foresight, credibility, and collaboration.

In September, we called for associates to nominate exemplary female colleagues for the 2021 STEP Ahead Awards, a national honor given every year by the Manufacturing Institute to the best women leaders in manufacturing.

We asked and you delivered. From the c-suite to the production floor, here are the outstanding nominees you submitted to be considered for the awards:

• DIAM:
• • Kara Grasso, VP of Strategic Operations
  • Stacey Skerske, Senior Manager of Sales
  • Amanda Gray, IT Support Staff Supervisor
  • Denise Carlson, VP of NAPIC and Executive Lead for Diversity and Inclusion
• DMAT:
  • Emilee Davis, Tie Project Leader
  • Ashleigh Seay, Manager of Production Engineering
  • Cheryl Reagan, Production Visual Inspector
• DMCN:
  • Karen Whiteman, Engineer
• DMMI:
  • Kim Shakinis, Senior Process Engineer
  • Michelle Haviland, Advanced Process Engineer
• DMTN:
  • Connie Sharpe, Section Leader, Quality Engineering
  • Whitney Dye, Team Leader, Production
  • Haley Penney, Senior Specialist, Quality Engineering
  • Jananii Vaz, Senior Specialist, Production Engineering
  • Rebecca Sargent, Team Leader, Production
  • Monica Moore, Manager, Production
  • Beth Rollins, Manager, Engineering
  • April Banner, Section Leader, Production
  • Mary Sutherland, Senior Specialist, Quality Engineering
  • Tina Lakey, Manager, Quality Engineering
  • Amanda Dango, Senior Specialist, Production Engineering
• DPAM:
  • Ellen Yim, Purchasing Supervisor

Please join us in applauding all these DENSO leaders, who make invaluable contributions to DENSO every day and help us deliver on our principles of safety, quality and collaboration. We recognize the important impacts they make not only at DENSO, but in their communities and with friends and families as well.

What’s Next?

While we wished to submit all the nominees, the Manufacturing Institute is highly selective in its review process and only allows 10 submissions per company.

As a result, a DENSO review committee consisting of members from the Diversity & Inclusion Council, Corporate Communications, Human Resources and Government Affairs evaluated and submitted the nominations that best aligned to the awards’ criteria. Those criteria included examples of personal achievement, mentorship, leadership, and community and company contributions through specific results and data.

The Manufacturing Institute is expected to announce the winners on Jan. 8, 2021. If a DENSO associate wins, we will be sure to share!

Want to get involved next time?

Whether you were nominated this year or this is the first you are hearing of the award, know that next year you will have another chance to nominate yourself or another standout female leader from DENSO. We will share more details about how to nominate individuals – and how to make those nominations as strong as possible – closer to next year’s nomination window.

More About the STEP Ahead Awards

Produced by The Manufacturing Institute, an organization dedicated to growing and enhancing the industry’s skilled workforce, the STEP Ahead Awards recognize women in science, technology, engineering and production careers who exemplify leadership within their companies. The honor identifies top talent in manufacturing, and further encourages award winners to mentor and support the next generation of women to pursue manufacturing careers.

The year 2020 may have brought on a lot of changes but DENSO’s commitment to giving back did not change. Through adjustments, creativity and commitment, our associates across North America continued to give back to the communities we live and operate in.

Here are just some of the ways our associates and locations gave back this year:

Face shield production and donations across NA

DIAM Food Packing Event

DPAM Turkey Donation

DMMI Environment Cleanup

DNMX Holiday Gifts

 DMCN Coat Drive

DMTN Holiday Gift Drive

DMAT Reading to Students

Thank you and congratulations, DENSO Associates!

Our continued commitment during this difficult year were recognized with DMTN and DIAM being nominated for awards by their communities. 

Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry

• Outstanding Community Stewardship in 2020
• Excellence in Operations Healthy and Safety

United Way of Blount County

• Community MVP Award
• Ambassador of the Year

Southfield Chamber of Commerce

• Community Cares Nominee
• Chamber Member of the Year Nominee

We couldn’t do any of this without the efforts of our associates. Thank you for continuing to demonstrate the DENSO Spirit through your efforts to give back.

Ways to give year round!

For those still compelled to give back, some suggestions are:

• Buy Local — It’s no secret that local businesses have been hard hit by the pandemic. Thus, consider getting this year’s gifts from local purveyors or ordering holiday meals from local restaurants and markets.
• Give to Organizations Supporting Frontline Workers — While first responders have spent most of 2020 tending to the public, there are many organizations at national and local levels doing important work to support them, donating things like PPE, food and care.
• Support Local Food banks — Food insecurity is on the rise. And with more people looking to feed their families over the holidays, many food pantries are offering contactless ways to give so they can fulfill their missions safely.
• Donate Blood — Since the pandemic’s start, blood centers have reported an increasing need for blood donations. While COVID has rightfully grabbed much of the medical world’s focus, more blood means more people can get the care they need.
• Go Digital — Not all volunteer activities are in person. Online resources like VolunteerMatch help connect organizations with people looking to help in all sorts of ways, including online mentorship and other activities able to be done online.

Rob Wunsche

Director of Engineering, Mobility Platform Services

Transferred from Engineering to Sales to R&D

Back in 2012, the DENSO Toyota sales team was looking for a technical person to join as a sales engineer because their current person was changing jobs. They approached me and admittedly, I thought it was a terrible idea at first – at the time, I didn’t have a very positive opinion about sales. Eventually, after several meetings and being told it could be limited to a 2-year assignment, I agreed to the transfer.

I’m so glad I did. In fact, 2-3 weeks after starting the new role, I was already convinced I wanted to stay beyond the outlined two years. I got to work side-by-side with what became my most inspiring leader and learned so much. First and foremost, I learned I was completely wrong about sales. I never worked harder than I did in my sales role and got insight into other aspects of DENSO – corporate communications, tradeshows, etc. – that I never would have before. And, despite having worked in automotive for more than 15 years, the transfer showed me parts of the industry I had never seen – marketing, product planning, etc.

After some time in the role, I began to feel static and made a move back to engineering, but on the R&D side. Now I get to look at where we are taking DENSO in the future in terms of technology – how do we bring new technologies to automotive, whether it be through innovation, partnering with Silicon Valley companies or start-ups.

I never would have been able to be in this role had I not made that first transfer. In fact, looking back, I feel like my career really didn’t start until I made that move. I wish I had done it sooner. You can only grow so much in a role, then you get comfortable and stop learning.

My Advice to You

If an opportunity presents itself, take it. Even if it seems scary, it will make you grow and become a more well-rounded person. And remember, your human network is the most valuable thing you have, especially in a big company. By making a move, you could double that network.

Search for Open Internal Positions

• Go to densocareers.com
• Click “DENSO Employee”
• Login with your DSC-ID and Oracle Fusion password
• Search for open positions and apply!

The online internal application system only shows non-exempt and exempt office positions at this time. For all other positions, please view local job boards and follow the local application process.

Matthew Agius

Electronics Engineer

Transferring from Design to Electronics Engineering

When I was a design engineer in Telematics, I enjoyed my work and team. But the core functionality in a vehicle doesn’t change with each model year, so the system tests and hardware design became repetitive. So, when my manager came across an opportunity and asked if I’d be interested, I said yes. It was time to try something new and I’m comfortable taking risks.

I sat down with my prospective new director who explained the details of the opportunity – the project, structure and team. And while he warned me that it would be something entirely different than what I’ve done before and I wouldn’t know everything at the start, he was very encouraging that I could do it and would get help from others in the department. Knowing all this, especially the fact that he acknowledged I wouldn’t know everything, as well as spending time openly talking to new team members, helped alleviate my fears and concerns.

Admittedly, I felt unprepared. I wasn’t formally trained on the work I’d be doing. But after making the transfer, another recently transferred associate and I were given a project to gauge what we knew. I’m pretty self-motivated so when I come across a task or area I’m not familiar with, I do some research and teach myself. We successfully completed the project, showing the manager and the team our skills and knowledge. It was a great feeling.

My Advice to You:

For those considering a transfer, remember, you’ll never be fully comfortable with a job transition and you won’t master the new job right away – you don’t know everything on day one of any job. Be prepared to fail but know your manager and team members will understand and support you.

I feel like making this change will not only be useful to me personally but for DENSO as I can now bring an expanded skillset to my current and future roles. Plus, I get to work with and learn from DENSO associates across the country.

Search for Open Internal Positions

• Go to densocareers.com
• Click “DENSO Employee”
• Login with your DSC-ID and Oracle Fusion password
• Search for open positions and apply!

The online internal application system only shows non-exempt and exempt office positions at this time. For all other positions, please view local job boards and follow the local application process.

Happy Thanksgiving! We’re so grateful for associates like you, who have been incremental in helping DENSO adapt and thrive in the face of challenging times. THANK YOU for your hard work – it has helped to strengthen our communities, promote safety (on and off the road) and engineer innovation. The holidays may look different this year, but we wish the entire DENSO family a healthy and happy turkey day.

Welcome to DENSO’s North American team, Christian! Christian relocated from one of DENSO’s European facilities just as countries implemented travel bans to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Originally from Bolivia, Christian was working for DENSO in Germany before he relocated to the U.S. It took him several months to make it over, but Christian’s positive, collaborative attitude throughout the process was immediately noticed by his supervisor. In his new role, Christian is a senior sales planning specialist, focusing on business operations and planning for DENSO in North America. 

Despite the uncertainty of COVID-19 restrictions and remote work requirements, Christian says he received plenty of support and patience from his new team as he settled into his new role. Even after he accepted his new position, his management team in Germany worked in collaboration with U.S. management to ensure he had access to the appropriate resources and advice. 

While DENSO’s COVID-19 safety precautions mean he hasn’t officially been to his office yet, he still feels as if he knows his team members well.

“I receive constant communications on next steps, including what they’re [DENSO] doing for people who can’t work 100% from home,” said Christian. 

Joining DENSO’s North American team felt like a step-up in Christian’s career. Not only does he have access to top-of-the-line tools and support, his role and the professional development available to him align well with his interests and career goals. 

“The automotive industry is already seeing a big shift, and being a part of this from a supplier point of view is interesting,” explained Christian. “It will be really exciting to see how we support a new era of autonomous and electric vehicles, and become more of a software industry supporter as well.”

If you’re interested in growing your career and shaping the future of mobility, check out our open positions here: https://densocareers.com/

We are so grateful for the people who make careers for themselves at DENSO. These individuals repeatedly show the values key to DENSO Spirit — foresight, credibility and collaboration — and continually strive to make DENSO a great place to work, all while delivering exemplary service to our customers and communities.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll introduce you to some of DENSO’s longest-serving associates. They’ll share what drew them to DENSO and more importantly, why they’ve stayed.

Meet Dwayne Taylor. Dwayne first joined DENSO’s Southfield, Mich. location back in 1986! 

Dwayne says he was initially attracted to DENSO because the products we were creating looked advanced and interesting. When he first started, we were sharing office space with a drive-thru bank! That’s hard to believe when you think about the size of our campus now. Our  Technical Center building in Southfield was completed a few months after Dwayne joined and we moved operations there. 

Dwayne also says that DENSO’s commitment to quality, advanced technology, and its associates are what’s made him stay all these years. He says over the years while the methods have changed, the company has grown both locally and globally, and the industry has adapted to the changing market, DENSO’s commitment to these areas has remained strong. 

One of Dwayne’s favorite memories from his time at DENSO was the opportunity to work as an expat in Japan. Living and working in Japan gave him and his family a whole new appreciation for what life is like in and outside of Japan and it’s an experience they really enjoyed and will never forget.

For prospective DENSO associates, Dwayne advises to always put forth your best effort, take advantage of opportunities to learn, and recognize that DENSO strives to offer the best in every sense of the word. He also notes that DENSO is a strong and stable global company and opportunities exist to gain experience abroad – plus it’s a great team to be a part of!

If you’re interested in a lifelong career shaping the future of mobility, check out our open positions here: https://densocareers.com/

This month, we’re spotlighting military veterans to thank them for their hard work and DENSO Spirit. Mark Lewis, Section Leader of the EDGE Project Team at DENSO’s Battle Creek facility had this to say about his military service and subsequent time at DENSO:

“The military helped me to be disciplined in my approach to things. It also taught me to trust my team.

When I started at DENSO, they embraced the team culture and were very organized, regimented similarly to the military. I felt very comfortable in this environment and throughout my career it has helped me to develop into the leader (and person) I am today. 

DENSO also supported me financially and emotionally during my first year of employment. I was called to Active Duty by the Michigan National Guard to go to Desert Shield/Storm from 1990-91. Even though I spent more than six months on deployment overseas, they would check in on my family and kept my pay at a normal level!”

Please join us in thanking Mark for his service! And, if you know a veteran we should spotlight, tag us on social media or email densospirit@outlook.com.

Eric Stevens

Account Manager, General Motors

Transferred from Talent Acquisition to Resident Engineer in Electronics to Sales in Thermal Engineering

Like many people, there have been several stepping stones in the path my career took to get me where I am today. I joined the talent acquisition team at DENSO nine years ago with a goal to someday land in a sales position. During that time, I recruited for the resident engineer position within the electronic components team a handful of times. Then one day when there was another opening, I was asked if I’d be interested in the opportunity. Though I had zero engineering experience, I knew this would be an incredible opportunity as I worked my way toward a sales position.

But this was a BIG change, so I had a lot of conversations with my current manager and mentor as well as external contacts I respected. In the end, I realized that not many people get HR and engineering experience on their way to sales, so I worked with my current and future managers to develop a transitional plan. I believe having that plan, one that everyone assisted in developing and thought was fair, was a key to my success. Another success factor was communication – I can’t stress how much ongoing communication, maybe even overcommunicating, helped ease my stress and anxiety.

Then, after three years as a resident engineer on the GM account, one of my directors asked what my next step was because he knew of a sales opportunity. I liked my job, but being in sales was my goal, and I don’t have an engineering degree, so there were limitations on how far I could go in that area. However, while the sales position was with my current customer, GM, it was in Thermal Engineering, a new product area for me. So once again, I was faced with a challenging decision. I had a lot of conversations with people to know exactly what I had to do to leave one position and start another. Being the competitive person I am, I saw the opportunity as a positive challenge, something that would show I could improvise and overcome obstacles that may seem like a roadblock or boulder in my career path.

During both transitions, I not only received support from managers, but the folks in HR training did a great job in ensuring I got the necessary training needed for each new job. I went through a lot of training.

I’m not sure I’d be in my current position if I didn’t take those big steps. So, my advice to anyone who’s had even just one thought about pursuing an internal transfer, is to look into it. Yes, it can and probably will be scary or challenging at times, but at the end of the day, it could be incredibly beneficial to you and the company. I know the experience I gained through my transfers is unique and will continue to help me flourish throughout my career.

Search for Open Internal Positions

• Go to densocareers.com
• Click “DENSO Employee”
• Login with your DSC-ID and Oracle Fusion password
• Search for open positions and apply!

The online internal application system only shows non-exempt and exempt office positions at this time. For all other positions, please view local job boards and follow the local application process.

Earlier this month, DENSO employees/associates from our thermal manufacturing facility in Battle Creek, Michigan, participated in the Krazy for the Kazoo Day, a community event aimed at beautifying the city. The group, along with others in the community, picked up a combined total of 72 bags worth of trash, cut down enough brush to fill over two semi-trailers (estimated to be 6,240 cubic feet of brush!), and planted 30 native plants. 

Not only was this event great for the community, DENSO Spirit shined bright through the collaboration, teamwork, and Kaizen demonstrated by the associates/employees who participated. 

We chatted with Jody Smith, an engineer in  Battle Creek, who spearheaded the activity, to learn more about how DENSO got involved. Here’s what she had to say:

What is Krazy for Kazoo?

Krazy for the Kazoo is an annual effort to clean up streams and rivers in the Kalamazoo River Watershed, which extends 123 miles from Albion to Saugatuck, emptying into  Lake Michigan. The event grew out of a successful cleanup program conducted in the Battle Creek and Marshall areas for more than 15 years. It’s spread to many other locations including Charlotte, Otsego, Kalamazoo, Albion, and others. Powered entirely by volunteers, each year they clean up many miles of the river, take care of places with illegal dumping problems, plant new trees, remove problematic invasive plants, and much more.

The cleanups take place throughout the year and are hosted by many different partners. The particular one that DENSO participated in is organized by the City of Battle Creek and focuses on locations in and around Battle Creek.

How did the opportunity to partner with them come about?

DENSO has had a strong relationship with the City of Battle Creek since operations began here. DENSO environmental staff participate in various city committees, such as the Battle Creek Area Clean Water Partners, City of Battle Creek Wellhead Protection Team, and the Sustainable Battle Creek Committee. The City of Battle Creek solicits volunteers for Krazy for the Kazoo from across the community and DENSO has been participating since 2014!

How many DENSO associates/employees participated in Krazy for the Kazoo?

This year we had seven associates/employees and three children/family members participate.

What was the day like?

It was an unseasonably cool morning with temperatures in the mid 30s when we first began the cleanup at 9:00 am. But it was very sunny and warmed up quickly, especially once we started working and enjoyed some hot chocolate provided by Mike Myszka!

We collected a large garbage bag worth of trash and then spent most of our efforts removing invasive vines and shrubs along 700 ft. of the Kalamazoo River. We completely cleared two areas along the river to provide gorgeous views from the Battle Creek Linear Path, which is a paved bike and walking path along the river. We finished by planting three native shrubs along the riverside — a Red Twig Dogwood and two Summer Wine Ninebark shrubs.

What kind of impact was DENSO able to make on its community?

It was great to see school groups, local businesses, local government, and people of all ages come together to improve the environment. For our DENSO group, it was a fun collaboration of associates/employees from different departments and even more impactful to include some younger family members who joined!

Are you looking forward to doing anything similar in the future?

We plan to participate in this event every year! DENSO is also participating in the City of Battle Creek Police Department’s Trunk or Treat event later this month and we participate in the City of Battle Creek’s Children Water Festival every spring.

This month, we’re celebrating Manufacturing Day every day with virtual panels that spotlight our exciting work, amazing employees and DENSO Spirit to encourage others to pursue careers in manufacturing.

On October 8, we hosted a webinar on Skilled Trades that discussed the critical role these jobs play in manufacturing. One of the panelists, Tommy Cole, graduated from high school just three years ago and is now part of DENSO’s three-year apprenticeship program.

After getting a degree in industrial maintenance from the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Knoxville, Tommy was offered an apprenticeship with DENSO. Before joining our team, Tommy thought working in manufacturing would mean doing the same thing every day. Now he knows that’s far from the truth and has found a real sense of accomplishment in his work.

Check out what else Tommy had to say about starting a career in manufacturing here! And thank you, Tommy, for showing your DENSO Spirit through continued collaboration, communication, teamwork, and meeting challenges as they come!

If you know someone looking to quickly grow their production or skilled trades careers, we’re hiring! Send them to DENSOcareers.com and apply for open opportunities.

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

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

Aaron Sussman

Product Engineer 2, Thermal Engineering

Transferring from Thermal Engineering at DIAM to Thermal Engineering at DPAM

On paper, my transfer story looks pretty straight forward – I went from thermal engineering at one affiliate to another. But it was more complicated than that. I went from working on automotive applications to the information technology sector. In fact, the focus of my new role was on a project entirely new to DENSO!

After a group meeting where we heard about some upcoming organizational changes and resulting job opportunities, I immediately went to densocareers.com and looked at what was available. Then I saw it – a non-automotive job in California – and was very excited about the possibility of all these “new” aspects – job, project, location, industry – so I applied.

I’ve moved 9-10 times in my life, so I’m used to change. And with a lot of positive DENSO experience under my belt, I was really excited about the opportunity to be part of something new to me and the company. But that’s not to say I didn’t have concerns – I was worried that leaving the regional headquarters would diminish my future career opportunities and I wouldn’t have the same strong relationships I currently had with managers and team members. But I wasn’t going to let these stop me.

I did a lot of research on the information technology industry and had a lot of people willing to talk to me and answer my questions about the role and future career opportunities. The support was incredible – I had weekly meetings with leadership and HR to help with the personal and professional aspects of the transition. And when it came to relationships, I reminded myself that I had to build them from scratch before, so there’s no reason I can’t do it again.

I’m really happy with my move – it was good for me and the company. I’m using my skills while learning a new industry and applying this knowledge to help build DENSO’s expertise in a new, prosperous industry. If you are thinking about a move, think about career progression and relationships – are there positive opportunities for both with a change? If so, go for it. Don’t let the little things hold you up – they always work out.

Search for Open Internal Positions

• Go to densocareers.com
• Click “DENSO Employee”
• Login with your DSC-ID and Oracle Fusion password
• Search for open positions and apply!

The online internal application system only shows non-exempt and exempt office positions at this time. For all other positions, please view local job boards and follow the local application process.

To celebrate Manufacturing Day throughout October, we’re hosting a series of virtual panels to get individuals excited about pursuing careers in manufacturing! Expert panelists from across our North American facilities will discuss important topics in the industry, like robotics and advanced technology, expanding opportunities for women, career pathways, skilled trades and more.

“Manufacturing does so much for so many, giving people opportunities to positively impact global organizations and society, work with leading technologies, innovate new mobility solutions and grow their careers,” said Melissa Smith, community affairs lead at DENSO. “Manufacturing Day reminds us to celebrate the importance of this industry and those who make it possible, as well as encourage and educate the next generation who will make it stronger in the future.”

If you know someone who’s interested in pursuing a career in manufacturing and portrays DENSO Spirit traits like credibility, foresight and collaboration, learn more about our panel discussions and invite them to register today: https://bit.ly/33CxBYS

Jonathan Garcia

Senior, Cal Poly Pomona

Mechanical Engineering

Each year, students from top engineering colleges and universities across the country – Stanford, Ohio State, and University of Michigan to name a few –  join the DENSO Co-op program for the opportunity to take what they’ve learned in the classroom and put it to work.

Meet Jonathan Garcia, a senior at Cal Poly Pomona who is a Mechanical Engineering Co-op at DENSO’s Battle Creek, Michigan location. 

What has been your favorite part of the program? 

I’m happy to be part of the Mold & Die design team working with kind engineers who are always willing to guide and teach me. Also, being given a real project to work on definitely gave me something to be proud of doing.

What was something unexpected you learned about automotive/mobility/manufacturing?  

I learned a lot here at DENSO. I learned that depending on the auto part, it can undergo a different manufacturing process than another part. That process can take two weeks to two months. In addition, I learned that it might sometimes take many iterations to get a part to meet the desired results and afterward it must undergo different tests and quality checks before it gets approved.

How did this program prepare you for what you want to do after graduation? 

My goal, ever since I started college, was to work in the design process of cars. I believe DENSO gave me the opportunity to do just that by giving me a position where I can design or modify a mold assembly that will contribute to the quality improvement of a component that will go into a car. DENSO gave me a head start into the automotive industry expectations.

More about DENSO’s Co-op program

Our Co-ops work alongside our skilled employees managing global platforms, products and projects; meeting with customers to provide high-quality service; and developing advanced technologies, test tracks, chambers and more. If you’re interested in applying, for DENSO’s Co-op program click: https://densocareers.com/creative/campus-coops

Earlier this year, Ken, a section leader at our Osceola facility, contracted COVID-19.

He talked with us about the difficulties his diagnosis posed on him and his family, the symptoms he experienced, and the emotional toll it took on everyone involved. Ken doesn’t know how he got the virus, but he can’t stress enough how important it is to follow safety protocols both at work and outside of it to help prevent the spread and ensure you or your loved ones don’t have to experience these things too.

Ken is grateful for his DENSO family’s support while he was sick and we’re grateful Ken has made a full recovery!

Hear Ken’s story:

If you have a personal story to share about you or your loved one’s experience with COVID-19, share your story at Communications@na.denso.com

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

Julianne Cinoman

Fifth year, North Carolina State University

Mechanical Engineering

Julianne Cinoman just completed DENSO’s Co-op program in Maryville, Tenn. She learned how to use several of the production machines on the plant floor, and was even able to run tests and make changes on them to continually improve the process (which she says was the best part!).

Something unexpected that Julianne learned during her program was that while new products and technologies are introduced all the time, old products must continue to be made — just at a lower volume but at the same high-quality. Because of this, DENSO has machines that produce parts that are over a decade old to ensure they’re able to fulfill all parts orders that come in from customers.

Julianne plans on working in manufacturing after graduation and when asked how this program prepared her for her career, she said, “I’ve learned a lot about the importance of cycle times, standardization and efficiency. Most of the job is problem solving. Production issues arise and it’s the job of a production engineer to investigate and fix problems. One important lesson DENSO has taught me is the ‘just-in-time’ principle. The idea is that, as a manufacturing plant, we should be producing just enough products at just the right time so that we aren’t over-stocking our warehouse, and thus creating more product than we’re actually going to sell, while at the same time we aren’t running behind and not meeting quotas.”

If you’re interested in applying to DENSO’s Co-op program, click: https://densocareers.com/creative/campus-coops

Welcome (back) to Louis Remynse! Louis began his internship with DENSO in May, returning for a second consecutive year for more opportunities to learn and grow.

Louis was excited to get back to work at DENSO, which he called “a world class manufacturing company,” because his job provided a feeling of normalcy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Every morning, he joined a meeting with his department to share lighthearted conversation about current events and his colleagues’ interests, before discussing the projects for the day. Louis said this not only brought him closer to his co-workers but gave him a sense of purpose going into the rest of his work day.   

During his internship, DENSO’s associate safety measures especially impressed Louis, and according to him, there was not a single moment at work when he did not feel completely safe. Louis said DENSO’s precautions, including temperature checks, plexiglass between desks and strict mask enforcement, demonstrated the company’s commitment to keeping their associates safe and helped keep his morale up, even in the midst of the pandemic. 

Interested in joining our team? Review our open positions here: https://densocareers.com/

For Linda Tirado, a quality systems engineer III at DENSO’s North American headquarters in Southfield, Michigan, quality isn’t something to occasionally consider – it’s her job.

Armed with DENSO Spirit, strong interpersonal skills and organizational knowledge, she takes a systematic approach when working with engineering teams to understand and address their needs. By doing so, she can offer training, clarify customer expectations, support communication with manufacturing locations and more to drive systematic improvements.

“I try to put myself in the other person’s shoes to understand where they are coming from, their competencies, skills, thoughts and ideas – it’s not about me, it’s about them,” said Linda.

As a participant in the development of the Quality Community at DENSO in Southfield, she joined a sub-team focused on redefining the organizational flow/ process maps for those working as Field Quality Representatives. She used her organizational understanding and knowledge to help enable the Field Quality Representative team to define the ideal future organizational structure. Today, they are working toward that structure, promoting both efficiency and effectiveness.

Linda also takes an active role in supporting young leaders, helping increase their knowledge of different areas of the organization to help them succeed at their current and future roles. As she explains, “I was fortunate to have very nice, smart coworkers throughout my career. I try to mirror all their best qualities and create a world of knowledge.”

“Linda is one strong example of a DENSO associate that is working to pave the way for the future leaders of DENSO. She diligently works to break down communication and knowledge barriers in order for the entire team to be successful,” said Yoshihiro Tsuzuki, vice president of Quality at DENSO’s North American headquarters.

Linda was one of four DENSO associates nominated for the Manufacturing Institute’s 2020 STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Awards, which recognize women in these career areas who exemplify leadership within their companies.

Know Someone Who Should be Nominated for a STEP Ahead Award?

From the production floor to the C-Suite, female DENSO leaders help us deliver on our principles of safety, quality and collaboration. And, in recognition of their invaluable contributions, we’re calling on associates to nominate exemplary women colleagues for the 2021 STEP Ahead Awards. Details on the awards and how to nominate someone are below. All submissions are due by Sept. 17, 2020.

• Download the submission form here.
• Fill out the nomination form on behalf of yourself or a colleague and send it to NA-DIAM-DIVERSITY-INCLUSION@na.denso.com by Sept. 17.
• In the document, you will see you must also include a signed endorsement, acceptable through a PDF scan or e-signature, from your supervisor or an individual up your management chain.

A review committee consisting of DENSO’s Diversity & Inclusion Council, Corporate Communications, Human Resources and Government Affairs will evaluate the nominations for examples of personal achievement, mentorship and leadership.

The committee will select the best nominations to submit to The Manufacturing Institute for consideration, favoring those that include impactful stories, specific results and data.

If the committee selects your nomination, members of the committee will work with you to edit and submit the final nomination to the Manufacturing Institute by their award deadline, Oct. 2.

More information: www.themanufacturinginstitute.org/women/step/step-awards/

Christine Martin, an advanced specialist of Electric Hybrid Vehicle Production Engineering at DENSO’s Maryville, Tennesse, facility, sees it as her responsibility to help develop the future workforce, specifically women.

“I’m a female in engineering and as one of the few, it’s my responsibility to reach out to people early in their careers to help identify what they want their path to be,” said Christine.

Her DENSO Spirit and passion for bringing women and those with diverse backgrounds into the company drives her to participate in various STEM and recruiting activities with students from elementary school through college. Whether its robot demonstrations, speaking to student groups, representing DENSO at career fairs or leading interviews of job candidates, Christine is helping build DENSO’s future workforce, as well as the industry’s, which will help us achieve our Long-term Policy 2030.

Reflecting on the impact mentoring had on her early career, Christine puts a high value on working with and training co-ops.

“As an engineering co-op, I had a very good mentor who respected me and gave me every development opportunity,” said Christine. “I feel it’s my responsibility to give the women coming into the field the same mentorship I received.”

In addition to her mentoring activities, Christine’s professional successes include contributing to the development of the site’s new engineering lab, preparing production lines for new products, making quality improvements, reducing scrap and increasing productivity. All of this led to Christine being nominated for the Manufacturing Institute’s 2020 STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Awards, which recognize women in these careers who exemplify leadership within their companies.

Know Someone Who Should be Nominated for a STEP Ahead Award?

From the production floor to the C-Suite, female DENSO leaders help us deliver on our principles of safety, quality and collaboration. And, in recognition of their invaluable contributions, we’re calling on associates to nominate exemplary women colleagues for the 2021 STEP Ahead Awards. Details on the awards and how to nominate someone are below. All submissions are due by Sept. 17, 2020.

• Download the submission form here.
• Fill out the nomination form on behalf of yourself or a colleague and send it to NA-DIAM-DIVERSITY-INCLUSION@na.denso.com by Sept. 17.
• In the document, you will see you must also include a signed endorsement, acceptable through a PDF scan or e-signature, from your supervisor or an individual up your management chain.

A review committee consisting of DENSO’s Diversity & Inclusion Council, Corporate Communications, Human Resources and Government Affairs will evaluate the nominations for examples of personal achievement, mentorship and leadership.

The committee will select the best nominations to submit to The Manufacturing Institute for consideration, favoring those that include impactful stories, specific results and data.

If the committee selects your nomination, members of the committee will work with you to edit and submit the final nomination to the Manufacturing Institute by their award deadline, Oct. 2.

More information: www.themanufacturinginstitute.org/women/step/step-awards/

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

DENSO Manufacturing Michigan, Inc. (DMMI) awards college scholarships to two exceptional Battle Creek Math and Science Center students for academic and personal achievement each year. This year’s 2020 recipients are Javeria Asif and Paul Radulescu.

Javeria recently graduated from Lakeview High School with an impressive GPA of 4.49. In the fall, she will be attending the University of Michigan and majoring in Biochemistry, aspiring to be a cardiologist. With her impressive record of volunteering, Javeria has given back to not just to her local community, but globally as well. From helping clean the Kalamazoo River and volunteering at the KCC Water Festival, to teaching self-defense classes at an all-girls school in Pakistan, Javeria has shown her passion to have a positive impact on others.

Paul recently graduated from Marshall High School as the valedictorian of his class. He also plans to attend the University of Michigan in the fall, majoring in Engineering. His fascination with space and aviation is motivating him to pursue a career in the aerospace industry. Additionally, Paul is a motivated Eagle Scout with Boy Scouts of America. The greatest lesson he has learned is the importance of hard work, and he is thankful for the memories he has made on camping trips and many other events with friends.

Congratulations Javeria and Paul, best wishes as you continue your academic careers!

Temperature screenings outside our facilities are helping to stop the spread of COVID-19 and keep our associates safe #DENSOSafetyFirst

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

We need your help! Follow DENSO on our social media handles and LIKE, COMMENT, SHARE or POST our content to help spread the word about DENSO to your network!

Every week, we share open positions at each of our locations, provide updates on the exciting work we’re doing, how our associates are changing the world and more. Know someone who’d be a great fit in our DENSO family? Check our channels for interview times and locations and encourage them to apply!

Facebook | @DENSOinNorthAmerica

Twitter | @DENSOinNA

LinkedIn | DENSO

Instagram | @densonorthamerica

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

Victoria White, an advanced specialist in the human resources department at DENSO’s facility in Athens, Tennessee, has been named one of the “20 under 40 to Watch” for 2020 by The Daily Post Athenian.

The annual listing honors local community leaders whose contributions make Athens a better place to work and live. Those chosen have achieved great things in their careers and are making a difference in the community. 

Victoria has worked at DMAT for eight years. According to Victoria, she has her dream job! She learned Japanese in high school and taught English in Japan for three years. Now, she helps our Japanese associates who relocate acclimate to life in America. Her commitment to hard work and her motivation to make the world a better place has helped her grow her career at DENSO.

Her proudest accomplishments include being selected for the JET Program (Japan Exchange and Teaching Program), being a Rotary Scholar, being involved in Leadership McMinn, winning the AMMP (All McMinn Modern Professionals) award last year for community involvement, being a member of the Sister City Committee of Athens and a member of the Parks and Recreation board of Athens.

And while her list of achievements is long and certainly impressive, Victoria says her greatest accomplishment – along with her husband Skip’s – is their son, Charlie.

We congratulate Victoria, as well as past “20 Under 40” honoree Erin Holbrook, an advanced specialist in communications, on her hard work, dedication and DENSO Spirit!

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) 

For many years, Southfield, Michigan associates have been active in supporting programs to get food to those in need. Whether it has been food drives on campus or packaging food at Focus Hope, we have worked to ensure there was food on the table for those in need.   The COVID-19 crisis has only increased the need.

In coordination with Community Affairs, associates are continuing to pack and distribute food to those in need.  Recently, associates from Thermal Business Group (PG1 Engineering)  spent their mornings packaging food for Focus Hope’s senior delivery program, while others were distributing food at Southfield High School to community members in need.

“It was evident when we walked in, they desperately needed help.  I’m so glad we as DENSO could make such a big impact in such a short time, “ said Pete Bassick, Sr. Design Engineer. “Focus Hope did a great job ensuring social distancing and mask usage throughout the event.  I felt safe the entire time and plan to go back.”

Big thanks to our thermal team for jumping in to help! DENSO volunteers packed 12.5 pallets, which is approximately 670 food boxes. The day before Focus Hope had only packed 4 pallets.

Get Involved

Focus Hope in Detroit has two needs for volunteers: (1) Packaging food boxes for distribution and (2) distribution of the packed boxes.  The packaging activity occurs inside.  Food distribution requires volunteers to deliver pre-packed boxes from the Focus Hope warehouse to the senior in need.

Focus Hope also conducts a temperature screening of all volunteers prior to beginning.

Those interested in volunteering can review the available slots at: https://focushope.galaxydigital.com/need/detail/?need_id=486261

Another volunteer option is distribution of fresh produce and dairy. The distribution occurs at Southfield High School every Friday from 9am-1pm. Volunteers are asked to arrive by 8:45.  This event is held outdoors. The volunteers distribute food to approximately 1,200 recipients each Friday.

Those interested in volunteering for this distribution should contact Melissa Smith.

Community Affairs reviews volunteer projects prior to associate participation to ensure social distancing and safe practices are in place.  Participants are required to wear masks during their volunteer time.

Our Thermal Business Group (PG1 Engineering) and Sales associates from DIAM are showing us their #DENSOspirit by volunteering at Southfield Public Schools’ Farmers to Families Food Box distribution center. This United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) program, in collaboration with Perfect Pact, LLC, provides fresh produce and dairy items for families in need. Not only are these associates able to make a difference, but they are also keeping safety in mind by participating in this no-contact, socially distanced, outdoor activity. We’re so proud of everyone for continuing to make an impact in our communities. Keep up the good work, team!

The FCA Sales team recently showed us the importance of collaboration and teamwork – a key element of DENSO Spirit.

Some of us may be feeling some semblance of “normal” with the auto industry restarting and with the implementation of our phased Return-to-Work protocol, but the fact of the matter is that COVID-19 is still very real. While we’ve increased production across North America, we continue to prioritize the safety of our associates, customers and communities and look for ways to take care of each other.

The FCA Sales team worked together on several wonderful community projects to help support local health care workers:

• Organized a food drive at the University of Michigan for Food Gathers, a food bank that works with 200 local nonprofits in southeast Michigan.

• Donated and collected donations from family and friends to cater over 300 lunches for nurses and doctors at U of M, Beaumont, Henry Ford and Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospitals.

• Assembled care boxes for hospital staff.
• Created colorful chalk art in front of hospitals to brighten workers long and challenging days as they fight the virus.

“I’m so proud of the team for taking the initiative during a really trying and challenging time to do something so positive for the community. So many people have asked how they can get involved and help,” said Derek Sneideraitis, Sr. Sales Manager, DENSO. “While DENSO has stepped up to help in big ways, the efforts of our associates are a true showing of DENSO Spirit. Seeing our team come together like this has given me a lot of hope for our future.”

DENSO Eco-VISION ACTION 10’s third commitment is to doubling our clean efforts.  This commitment has a particular focus on cleaning our production locations through water consumption reductions, improvements in recycling, elimination and reduction of toxic materials and increasing education for all.

In addition to supporting our environmental sustainability goals, this commitments also supports two of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):

• Goal 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure
• Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production

DENSO Contributions

DENSO locations across North America have been working with suppliers to minimize the use of Substance of Concern chemicals in our products.  DENSO has integrated compliance checks into our product development process to assure requirements related to Substance of Concern are met prior to start of production.

DENSO locations also have comprehensive waste management programs that strive to maximize the reduction, reuse and recycling waste materials. Associate input has seen programs expand to returnable cans, bottles and K-Cups at various locations.

COVID-19 has created a situation with a low demand for recycled materials.

Associates can aide by not generating scrap and ensuring strong segregation when sorting recycled materials. Mixing of waste and recyclables lowers their value and more likely to be sent to landfill

What You Can Do

Take your DENSO Spirit to find clean efficiencies in your life. Some examples:

• Pay bills online instead of paper bills
• Freeze fresh produce and leftovers to save food and money
• Understand your local recycling guidelines to recycle efficiently
• Buy funny or ugly fruits and vegetables. These are produce items that are usually discarded due to looks despite being edible. Purchase of this items helps reduce unnecessary food waste.

Share how you are supporting ECO VISION 2025 and DENSO’s energy commitments by sharing your activities and tips on social media and use #DENSOSpirit. Click here to learn more.

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 North America President and CEO Ken Ito said in his message to associates, DENSO is committed to supporting the communities it calls home. In this period of uncertainty caused by COVID-19, the DENSO North America Foundation (DNAF) provided grants to non-profit organizations doing critical work in our communities. The grants supported food pantries, healthcare workers and their efforts to treat patients, childcare workers supporting essential workforce, and those providing financial assistance to the individuals and families most impacted.

Below are some of the thank you notes DNAF received from recipient organizations:

• Without your gift, I’m not sure we could have bridged the gap so that our agency could survive, especially after we had to furlough employees and close the thrift store. But we are coming back to life.

• With each passing day, the demand for healthy nutritional food is dramatically escalating. The financial support given by DENSO will help The Foodbank’s ability to respond to a community in need.

• Friends like you who invest in transforming the lives of others, make it possible for us to continue our deep commitment to provide a hand up, not a hand out. Your support will help low-income individuals, families, homeless, seniors, and those financially impacted by the COVID-19 crisis receive essential services. We are grateful for your generosity and commitment in assisting those in need.

• Thanks to you, we were able to provide COVID-19 care baskets to the vulnerable families we serve and the child care facilities who remained open to provide care for children of essential workers during this public health crisis. The baskets were filled with critical medical and cleaning supplies needed to ensure the health and safety of the children in our community as well as resources about helping children cope with trauma. As staff personally delivered these baskets while following social distancing guidelines, we were humbled by the grateful smiles, tears of joy and lifted spirits.

• Due to Covid-19 our annual fundraiser had to be cancelled.  The gift definitely lifted a financial burden for us. This allowed us to focus on our programs that meet the needs of our community.  We have a feeding program where we serve over 400 families a month with supplemental food.  Can goods are in high demand.  Your funds will ensure that we will not run out of can goods for the whole year. 

• The Mission houses the homeless, women, children and men of our area.  When a person comes to the Mission they usually come with the clothes on their backs.  Your Gift will ensure that each person that enters will be able to obtain brand new clothes, undergarments, socks and a new pair of shoes.  The simple things that you and I take for granted, bring so much joy to the underserved of our community. 

• It came in at the right time to keep us from having to close our doors, and laying off my assistant, and myself. The donations had been so low that our bank balance was under $3,000 and we still had bills to pay and building insurance was coming up!  When I opened of the envelope, if I had of been able I would have leaped for joy!  We are opened Monday – Thursday to assist the less fortunate with food and clothing.  If we would have had to close the Pantry, or limit our days open, a lot of people would have been without!  Thank You!

One of the three ECO VISION 2025 commitments and ACTION 10 focus areas is to reduce our energy impact by half through developing fuel-efficient product innovations, reducing energy use in production and company activities and increasing use of renewable, efficient energy sources.

In addition to supporting our environmental sustainability goals, these commitments also support two of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): 7 “Affordable and Clean Energy” and 13 “Climate Action.”

• SDG Goal 7 is a commitment to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy. Through this effort, we can provide access to energy for everyone and reduce the use of energy sources that emit greenhouse gases.
• SDG Goal 13 is taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. This goal is working to address the policy and process changes needed to reduce greenhouse gases.

DENSO Contributions

DENSO locations across North America have reduced CO2 emissions through energy audits, production efficiencies and innovations. In FY18, these efforts resulted in a 3.5% reduction of CO2 from FY17.

• Example 1: DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee established a cross-functional Energy Savings Committee who set goals using an energy Just-In-Time mindset. Their efforts have resulted in reducing 5,000 tons of CO2 through projects such as addressing air leaks, which eliminated 200 tons of CO2 and reduced repairs costs.

• Example 2: DENSO Manufacturing Athens Tennessee is using solar panels to operate the restroom lights and fountain at the site’s ecopark.

What You Can Do

Take your DENSO Spirit to find energy efficiencies in your life. Some examples:

• Turn off the lights and rely on natural light or the cozy glow from your TV
• Plug appliances into a power strip and turn the strip off when not in use
• Plug air leaks to increase energy efficiency and save money
• Replace older appliances with energy efficient models
• Bike, walk or use public transportation when an option

Share how you are supporting ECO VISION 2025 and DENSO’s energy commitments by sharing your activities and tips on social media and use #DENSOSpirit. Click here to learn more.

One of the three focus areas of ACTION 10 as part of DENSO’s ECO VISION 2025 commitment is to double the green aspects of our products, workplaces and communities.

Through these environmental sustainability activities, we also are supporting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): 14 “Life Below Water” and 15 “Life on Land.”

• SDG Goal 14 is a commitment to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
• SDG Goal 15 focuses on protecting, restoring and promoting the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

DENSO Contributions

DENSO locations across North America have implemented programs to reduce water consumption 2% each year. As part of the Ecopark installation in Athens,Tennessee, permeable pavers were installed to reduce run-off and flooding of local waterways.

A pollinator garden was planted on the Southfield, Michigan, campus in 2018. It includes a bird bath, warming stones and mulch for inspect habitat needs, as well as various pollinator plants (some native) to attract butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. Moths and a variety of butterflies, including the Monarch butterfly, various bees and birds are regularly seen enjoying the garden.

DENSO also supports the environment through annual community cleanups and environmentally friendly plantings on our campuses.

What You Can Do

Take your DENSO Spirit to find ways to your life. Some examples:

• Take short showers. Bathtubs require gallons more water compared to showering for 5-10 minutes.
• Pick up trash as you walk around your neighborhood.
• Don’t rinse. If you use a dishwasher, stop rinsing your plates before you run the machine.
• Add pollinator and native plants to your home gardens to attract butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.

Share how you are supporting ECO VISION 2025 and DENSO’s green commitments by sharing your activities and tips on social media and use #DENSOSpirit. Click here to  learn more.

When COVID-19 first struck, we launched the #DENSOspirit campaign to help each other stay connected and show how all of us worked together to be a force for good. Now, as stay-at-home orders are lifting and we safely return to work, we have a new opportunity to show how #DENSOspirit continues to shine bright which is why we are broadening the themes to include Quality, Inclusion, Environment, Innovation, Community Support and beyond.

Recently, our North American CEO Kenichiro Ito shared how, to him, DENSO is not only a family but a company that deeply cares about each and every one of us, our customers, communities, society and the planet. And right now, showing that we care means placing a focus on things like quality, inclusion, and the environment.

How are you showing #DENSOSpirit in these areas?

Are you or someone you know doing something or taking part in a small or big project, either inside or outside of work, that showcases high-quality work, diversity and inclusion efforts, and/or care for the environment? These actions could include how you’re working with and supporting coworkers, uplifting your family, friends and neighbors, or how you’re participating in DENSO’s calls to action regarding inclusion, quality, environmentalism, and more. Submit your story by tagging us and using #DENSOspirit on social media or by emailing DENSOspirit@outlook.com.

Click here to learn more about our DENSO Spirit values:

• Credibility – Quality, KAIZEN (continuous improvement), on-site verification
• Foresight – Vision, creativity, challenge
• Collaboration – Communication, teamwork, human development

We’ll continue to share your content each week. Make sure you follow our social and internal channels to see how your colleagues across North America are bringing DENSO Spirit to life.

As a reminder, here are some helpful tips for posting your stories on social media:

• Use #DENSOspirit and tag DENSO North America on its appropriate social channel
  • Facebook (@DENSOinNorthAmerica)
  • LinkedIn (@DENSO)
  • Twitter (@DENSOinNA)
  • Instagram(@DENSOnorthamerica).
  • If you’d prefer to share your stories by email, you can send your submissions to DENSOspirit@outlook.com

• 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!

• Include an image or video if you can
  • Must follow your local DENSO picture guidelines if taken at DENSO facility

• Include a sentence or two on what you or others are doing to show DENSO Spirit (credibility, foresight and/or collaboration) inside or outside of work:
  • How you’re working with and supporting DENSO associates and others
  • Stories on how you are uplifting your family or community
  • How you’re participating in DENSO’s calls to action regarding COVID-19, environmentalism, etc.

• Prohibited Content
  • Confidential & Proprietary Information: Per DENSOs information security policy, no Confidential, Deemed Confidential or Proprietary Images or information may be shared outside the company. If you are not sure what us confidential, you can Facebook message us and we’ll help you out.
  • Inappropriate Content: DENSO reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to remove any content which it deems inconsistent with the #DENSOspirit campaign or otherwise inappropriate content, such as:
    • Profane language
    • Insults
    • Bullying
    • Overt negativity, etc.

A special thanks to everyone who already shared their amazing work. It was inspiring to see so many of you come together and support your communities in fighting COVID-19. Whether your actions are big or small, we’re excited to continue showcasing our collective #DENSOspirit!

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.

DMTN’s Jon Callies says it’s important to “recognize the good” by thanking the people who sew masks to help keep our communities safe! We’ve been floored by the amount of good our associates are doing in their communities – it’s #DENSOspirit!

In an effort to bring a little light-hearted fun to our social media and drag racing fans, DENSO Products and Services America teamed up with Pro Stock Motorcycle racers Angie and Matt Smith to host the DENSO Auto Parts 3-Wide Doxie Nationals – our very own wiener dog race – on Saturday, May 23, aired on Facebook Live from Matt and Angie Smith’s page: https://www.facebook.com/matt.angiesmith. Visit the page to view video highlights, bloopers and photos!

If you missed it, check out the race here!

The Smith’s three pups – Coco, Mocha & Bella – raced in the event. We chose 3 great charities to support with this event.  The top two winning pups earned a $1,000 donation from DENSO to the charity they represented in the race. Last place pup, received a $500 donation from DENSO to the charity they represented in the race.

• First Place: Coco, donating $1,000 to Dachshund Rescue of North America
• Second Place: Mocha, donating $1,000 to Heaven Can Wait Animal Society
• Third Place: Bella, donating $500 to Patriot Paws Service Dogs

In recognition of our commitment to creating the future of mobility, DENSO was named to PatentSight’s list of the Global Top 100 Digital Innovation Leaders. Out of the 100 global leaders listed, DENSO was ranked 22nd overall and eighth among global autonomous driving companies.

This recognition comes after several key initiatives we’ve implemented in the past year to support our Second Founding and Long-Term Policy 2030 – like opening R&D locations in Montréal, Plano, Texas and Seattle and creating our first Smart Mobility Ecosystem in Dublin, Ohio. These initiatives, and ultimately this recognition, would not be without the hard work and dedication from our associates.

“At DENSO, we strive to create technologies that promote safer roadways and communities, are cleaner for the environment and streamline transportation,” said DENSO’s Kenichiro Ito. “We are proud to be recognized as one of the world’s most innovative companies as we continue to change the way the world moves.”

To learn more about DENSO’s placement in PatentSight’s list of the Global Top 100 Digital Innovation Leaders, click here.

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.

Thank you for extending the DENSO family and welcoming us into your homes!

Check out new work from home teammates and experiences our DIAM associates have been able to enjoy during this unique time!

For weeks now, a team of spirited DENSO employees across three of its locations in Michigan and North Carolina quietly joined the effort to battle COVID-19 by taking on projects intended to protect health care workers. DENSO employees used their expertise in engineering, design, molding and manufacturing to support special customer and partner projects to produce respirator components. While a temporary shift in production, the DENSO team has been able to produce components to help increase the number of respirators in circulation during the pandemic.

The project is a demonstration of credibility, foresight and collaboration, or what we call DENSO Spirit.

Agile Engineering & Design:

Earlier in March, DENSO’s engineering and sales teams, located at its North American headquarters in Southfield, Michigan quickly worked to support a customer request to bring powered air purifying respirators (PAPR) from design to production in just under 25 days. About 200 DENSO employees worked on this project, and the team – from global leadership, to DENSO’s design and manufacturing engineers, production experts, and security guard personnel – came together to collaborate with the customer at an accelerated speed.

“This has been a project that I am so proud to be a part of. The levels of dedication and commitment from our employees has been nothing short of amazing,” said Sergio Pujols, a director of research and development at DENSO and a leader one of the projects. “We jumped at the chance to support a greater need within our communities and do our small part to protect the health care workers who are risking their lives every day.”

Production Super Stars:

From mid-April, a small group of employees at DENSO’s Thermal facility in Battle Creek, Michigan, and Greenville, North Carolina, facility proudly produced medical equipment components for two separate projects.

“Not only are we grateful for the work our employees are doing, we’re also incredibly proud of how quickly they’ve pivoted from crafting auto parts to creating potentially life-saving equipment,” said Andris Staltmanis, Business Unit Leader of DENSO’s Thermal Operations in North America. “We’re all looking forward to getting back to “normal” and doing what we do best – manufacturing parts that make the vehicles on our road safe and efficient – but we’re honored and humbled to support those who need it most right now during this pandemic.”

More about DENSO Spirit:

The DENSO Spirit expresses values and beliefs shared by our employees around the world that have driven us to contribute to the automotive industry and society as a whole since our establishment in 1949.

As we begin to increase production, our quality business lead at DIAM, Yoshihiro Tsuzuki, is reminding us to “work together with a smile.” Everyday we are inspired by your positivity and can-do attitudes. Keep your #DENSOSpirit shining bright!

Another week brings another great round of #DENSOspirit submissions. The work our associates are doing every day to help their communities continues to inspire us! 

Know of a team member doing their part to help others? Share it through the channels below, we would love to hear about it!

• On social media, use #DENSOspirit and tag:
  • On Facebook @DENSOinNorthAmerica
  • On LinkedIn @DENSO
  • On Twitter @DENSOin NA
  • On Instagram @DENSONorthAmerica
• Or email us at densospirit@outlook.com

Shared by Joanna Vega

Check out this great team who helped get our Battle Creek facility ready to go. Thanks to Joanne, Scar, Deb, Nicole, Brenda, Eiko, Connie and Tyler!

Shared by Sarah Fox & Brian Stawowy

Sarah’s husband Brian worked with a local distillery to provide hand sanitizer to our public housing residents in Ferndale, MI.

Shared by Christina Khim

Christina’s beautiful baby Grace shows off her own #DENSOspirit while her mom helps translate back to work materials into Burmese!

Shared by Faith Baker-Forbush

Faith had the great idea to make masks out of recycled materials

Shared by Eutimio Cardenas

Eutimio is doing his part by giving away face shields!

We appreciate all of our associates and everything they are doing for their families, community and DENSO. Watch this video to hear personal messages of gratitude from our leadership.

Thank you to our associates.

It’s your courage, giving spirit and enthusiasm that make DENSO strong.

Let’s continue to dream big, come together, and appreciate one another.

Together, we are strong.

It’s only been five days since we launched, but we’re overwhelmed by the responses we’ve received from you so far showing us your #DENSOspirit. From making signs to thank essential workers, donating clothes, and sewing masks, your efforts are inspiring and making a difference in the communities where you work and live.

Each week, we plan to share all your posts and pictures here. We want to know how you’re helping fight COVID-19, how you’re staying entertained at home, and how you’re adjusting to this new normal. While many of us stay home and stay apart, sharing a little glimpse into your lives helps us still feel connected during this time. 

Please continue to post your photos or videos with #DENSOspirit and tag DENSO on Facebook (@DENSOinNorthAmerica), LinkedIn (@DENSO), Twitter (@DENSOinNA) and/or Instagram (@DENSOnorthamerica). You can also email your story to DENSOspirit@outlook.com. 

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Shared by Stepan Krouzek 

Stepan and his coworkers are making homemade masks for everyone. 

Shared by Charles Brinkley

Charles is proud of DENSO’s support of Arkansas State University’s off-road team.

Shared by Caitlin Gaylord

Caitlin and the FCA Sales team coordinated with a local Michigan Jersey Mike’s Subs to donate 50 meals for front line workers at the Henry Ford Health System.

Shared by Brian Nolan

Brian helped cut out swathes of material at his home for the making of free cloth masks.

Shared by Russ England

Russ shared the sign he made with his granddaughter supporting essential workers.

Shared by Seth Atkinson

Seth created a website that sourced local graphic designers to create hoodies supporting health care workers, small businesses and the elderly. Seth was able to raise $400 for charity and deliver several hoodies!

Shared by Jessica Krauss

Jessica decorated her windows with a festive Easter theme to boost the mood in her neighborhood.

Shared by Murlene Bullock

Murlene purchased a health care worker appreciation lawn display. The proceeds go to buying lunches for hospital staff!

Shared by Pam Gibson

Pam has dedicated hours each day to sew masks for her local community. She has made over 250 so far!

Shared by Melissa Smith

Melissa has been making masks for family/friends, sponsoring dinner for the fire department and even fostering cute kittens!

Get ready for a whole lot of #DENSOspirit! Whether you’re creating face shields, sewing face masks, shopping for elderly neighbors, posting thank you signs, or just staying home – we know you’re all doing your part to help fight COVID-19! We want to share the amazing things you’re doing to brighten up everyone’s feed on social media, but we need your help.

Post what you or someone you know is doing to spread love, kindness, gratitude and support in our communities to social media. Be sure to use #DENSOspirit and tag DENSO on Facebook (@DENSOinNorthAmerica), LinkedIn (@DENSO), Twitter (@DENSOinNA) and/or Instagram (@DENSOnorthamerica).

We’ll be highlighting your great work through the official DENSO North America social channels and through our internal company channels to let the world know the amazing things you’re doing. Don’t want to create your own post? Email your submissions to DENSOspirit@outlook.com.

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

• Use #DENSOspirit 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!
• Include an image or video if you can
• Include a sentence or two on what you’re doing, such as:
  • How you or your team is helping community, society or others fight COVID-19
  • Gratitude and thanks to frontline workers, DENSO associates and others
  • Stories on how you are adjusting to WFH
  • What you’re doing during the COVID-19 crisis

We cannot thank you enough for all you’re doing – for each other, our customers and our communities. Please share all the wonderful things you are doing – no matter how big or how small – to show your #DENSOspirit. Be sure to check our internal and social channels each week for the latest updates and stories!

And, as a reminder, this is a good news movement – we will not tolerate content that includes profane language, insults, bullying or overt negativity. If we deem content posted on DENSO channels as inappropriate, we reserve the right to remove it.

As DENSO-sponsored, NHRA drivers, Matt and Angie Smith feel a close connection to the company and associates. That’s why they’ve put together another special video message to DENSO associates. Check it out below!

As DENSO-sponsored, NHRA drivers, Matt and Angie Smith feel a close connection to the company and associates. That’s why they’ve put together a special video message to DENSO associates. Check it out below!

We’ve always supported the places we all call home. First, our philanthropic arm, DENSO North America Foundation, is donating to local organizations across North America battling COVID-19. Grant recipients have been selected and in the process of being notified, and we look forward to sharing this information with you next week.

A few weeks ago, we’ve also created a COVID-19 Cross-functional Community Contribution Task Force which will focus on:

• Planning the manufacturing and donating of personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Supporting community organizations
• Collaborating with partners up and down the supply chain

“We feel called upon to support our communities and those working so hard to protect us,” said DENSO’s North American CEO and Executive Officer Kenichiro Ito. “We’re grateful and hope our small contributions help improve the greater good. With our advanced manufacturing network and strong community ties, we’ll continue to look to use these assets to try to help as many people as possible.”

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, we’ve also:

• Donated nearly 2,000 N95 masks to hospitals in Michigan and North Carolina
• Started manufacturing thousands of face shields to protect local healthcare workers in Maryville, Tenn.
• In Canada, an employee of DENSO’s Guelph, Ontario, facility answered InkSmith’s call for people to 3D-print face shield components and is sending them to the company for assembly and donation to Canadian hospitals
• Began manufacturing components to help our customers COVID-19 efforts
• Collaborated with our customers and our supply chain to identify areas we can support and began implementing
• Joined a D-Wave project to give free access to a quantum computing systems that could facilitate medical breakthroughs to combat COVID-19

Our cross-functional task force team is working hard on many other activities that can help combat and mitigate the COVID-19 crisis. We look forward to sharing those activities, as well as all the DENSO Spirit actions our teams and associates are doing to make a difference during this unprecedented time.

To see all of our other COVID-19 updates, 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!”

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.

Hitozukuri: Human resource development

DENSO believes associates are our most important management resource. That’s why we focus on their training and skill development. We believe, “The best products are made by the best human resources.” As we look to achieve our Long-term Policy and success beyond 2030, we rely on a broad range of global initiatives to develop leaders who can take charge of new businesses and oversee the future of DENSO.

To learn more about Hitozukuri, click here.

Since our founding, DENSO’s Monozukuri – the art of making things – has integrated in-house technologies. It gives us the positive foundation to design and manufacture equipment, production lines, materials and processing methods. By doing so, we can provide society with the world’s most advanced groundbreaking technologies and products conceived by our R&D.

To learn more about Monozukuri and the keys to this strength, click here.

By accurately anticipating social needs, DENSO has created competitive products with a commitment to world-firsts. Our R&D activities are the foundation that allows us to create products and technologies in a wide range of industries. To create optimal products in each region, enhance the appeal of automobiles and contribute to the future automotive society, we operate technical centers and laboratories around the world.

To learn more about our R&D and the keys to this strength, click here.

Our Long-term Plan is a checkpoint in our journey to our Long-term Policy. But what will keep us on the right path to our Long-term Plan? Our Mid-Term Plan. With 2022 targets of ¥5.6 trillion and an operating margin of more than 8%, it focuses on three perspectives:

Taking on the Challenge of Creating New Value

• Establish de facto standards in integrated vehicle systems and lead the way in electrification and automated driving
• Create new value and business models for mobility services
• Position FA and agriculture as new business pillars
• Flexibly create new products in epicenters of innovation around the world

Strengthening Profitability to Support Future Growth

• Implement speedy business management through a smaller head office and headquarters and enhance Group companies in Japan and overseas
• Establish sources for competitiveness by creating innovative technologies using our key devices and establishing industry standards
• Realize unrivaled front-line capabilities through DANTOTSU plants and factory IoT
• Significantly accelerate development and bloster profitability through co-creation with business partners and business process innovation

Reforming Our Management Foundation

• Inherit the DENSO Creed and establish a solid foundation for quality and safety in new domains, such as robotics and digitization
• Draw on the power of individuals and maximize speed and front-line vitality by developing motivated human resources and utilizing cutting-edge IT
• Establish lean production systems throughout the supply chain and enhance the competitiveness of our manufacturing
• Develop businesses with an awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals in order to create a sustainable society

With these in the forefront of our minds, we’ll head into 2022 with the foundation necessary to reach our goals for 2026 and beyond. Let’s go!

This week, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the United States of America, Shinsuke J. Sugiyama, visited DENSO’s regional headquarters in Southfield, Mich.

It was an opportunity for the Ambassador to learn more about DENSO, our technology, commitment to sustainability, and future direction. While it was the Ambassador’s first trip to Michigan, he’s no stranger to DENSO, having visited DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee earlier this year. This trip was a follow-up to continue to strengthen our relationship with him, and to share more about our R&D capabilities and thermal footprint in the region.

Ambassador Sugiyama was joined by Consul General Tsutomu Nakagawa and Consul Yuki Ebihara of the Consulate General of Japan in Detroit, and First Secretary Takafumi Iwasaki of the Embassy of Japan in the United States.

“It was a special opportunity to host the Ambassador, Consul Generals and First Secretary, on the day of DENSO’s 70th anniversary,” said Robert Townsend, Vice President of Corporate Services. “We recognized DENSO’s strong history and bright future. The Ambassador was especially interested in DENSO’s commitment to our associates, our commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and the technology and innovation we’re developing right here in North America.”

In addition to formal presentations and discussion, our guests experienced DENSO’s Intelligent Comfort Demonstration and toured our technical testing chambers.

Those representing DENSO at the meeting included:

Kenichiro Ito, North America President & CEO

Kazuoki Matsugatani, Executive Officer, R&D

Stephen Milam, Executive Officer, Corporate Function, Powertrain, Electrification

Makoto Hasegawa, Group Head, VP, Corporate Finance

Andris Staltmanis, CEO of DENSO Manufacturing Michigan

Mr. Keishima, President of DENSO TEN

Makoto Tanaka, Sr. Vice President, Sales & Marketing

Robert Townsend, VP, Corp. Services

Julie Kerr, Sr. Manager, Corporate Communications

Jennifer Heckmann, Sr. Program Manager, Government Affairs

We have a robust Long-term Policy that requires focus on the activities that will drive us to achieve our goals. As outlined in our Long-term Plan, we need to focus on these four fields:

1. Electrification – reducing environmental burden and realizing highly efficient mobility
2. Advanced Safety and Automated Driving – realizing a safe society without accidents, and free and comfortable mobility
3. Connected Cars – realizing a new mobile society that connects vehicles, people and goods
4. Non-Automotive Businesses (Factory Automation and Agriculture) – contributing to improved social and industrial productivity

For more details and explanation about each, click here.

With a keen focus on these four areas, we’ll not only reach our goals, we’ll contribute to the improvement of industrial and social productivity. Let’s go!

To achieve our Long-term Policy, DENSO must evolve as a company. What does this mean? It means change. Change at all levels to benefit the organization. It even means change of the organization’s structure.

As part of our Long-term Plan, our path to achieving our Long-term Policy, we’ve identified two organizational reforms:

1. Enhancing a Vehicle-Based Perspective – establishment of Mobility Systems Business Unit to optimize development based on vehicle systems, not individual businesses
2. Strengthening Competitiveness by Streamlining the Technological Development of Our Four Key Devices – streamlined development of all ECUs into the Electronics Business Unit, and development of sensors and semiconductors into the Sensor & Semiconductor Business Unit; both of these were previously done within individual businesses

These two reforms will internally align us to work stronger and faster. To learn more, click here.

Tomorrow’s workforce isn’t something we can think about later. We need to engage students at an early age and create excitement and appropriate training for their future careers.

Today, John Brown, Vice President of HR at DENSO Manufacturing North Carolina, and DENSO Executive Advisor Jack Helmboldt, joined Representative Ted Budd of North Carolina to discuss community workforce development, specifically, how companies and government can work together to build a workforce of the future. Topics included challenges in finding talent, how to prepare middle and high school students, what training is offered and how to connect students to training and job opportunities.

The path to achieving our Long-term Policy is our Long-term Plan. How does it do this? By guiding us in our evolution to an organization that acts with increased speed in an invigorating workplace.

Evolution requires change, and change must come from the top. That’s why the Long-term Plan has The Five Pillars of Management Reform:

1. Enhancement of Vehicle Perspective and Streamlining of Technological Development
2. Advanced R&D Function to Realize Agile Development Globally
3. Business Unit Evolution and Smaller but Stronger Headquarters
4. Global Management with Optimal Use of Group and Regional Power
5. Way of Working with Tremendous Speed and Efficiency

What do these mean? Click here to learn more. Let’s go!

Since DENSO was founded in 1949, we have taken our responsibility to society – both people and the environment – seriously. Throughout the years, this mindset and dedication has grown. Today, our commitment to sustainability is woven in many of our foundational and corporate initiatives. DENSO Philosophy. Long-term Policy 2030. It’s part of who we are.

That is why we deeply consider the impact our company has on global social issues and how we can address these issues. Developed by the United Nations in 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a way we can categorize, or focus, our efforts to ensure what we do and how we do it has a cumulative positive impact on global issues.

SDGs, a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all, are 17 goals and 169 targets that address the global challenges we face and interconnect so that no one is left behind. This mindset – to provide a better future for all – is mirrored in the slogan of our Long-term Policy 2030, “Bringing hope for the future for our plant, society and all people.”

Taking a first step

After initial discussions about the meaning of SDGs and how they link to company goals, leadership at DENSO Mexico wanted to educate managers about these goals and their importance. With the help of an external SDG consultant, a 1-hour workshop was held for 60 associates from the general manager and above levels. In addition to getting a high-level view of each of the SDGs, attendees also learned best practices and implementation activities from other companies, institutions, special projects and individuals.

After some time to reflect and discuss the SDGs and how they impact DENSO Mexico, the 60 attendees were tasked with linking SDGs to current activities and 2020 plans.

In this article series, we’ll highlight DENSO activities that support these SDGs – if you have an activity you’d like to see highlighted, please email christine_olszewski@denso-diam.com.

Our Long-term Policy focuses on 2030, but how do we know if we are on the right path? That’s the purpose of our Long-term Plan for 2025. Designed to help us reach our 2030 goals, the plan is based on four focus fields:

• Growth – focus on the development and commercialization of new mobility fields – electrification, advanced safety/automated driving, connected cars – to drive growth with current customers and create opportunities with new customers.
• Profitability – further solidify our earnings base from components, while enhancing the profitability from our existing thermal management, energy management and information management technologies.
• Differentiation – strengthen the development of ECUs, semiconductors, sensors and motors to differentiate DENSO technology offerings from competitor’s products
• Organizational Capabilities – accelerate our business execution and create an invigorating workplace.

By nurturing these in one another, we will drive DENSO to meet its growth targets. Let’s go!

Our Long-term Policy is a vision of what we want DENSO to be in 2030. But what do we need to do to get there? To start, we need to abide by three principles – Open, Fair, Reliable.

With these three principles guiding us, we’ll have the approach and attitude necessary to achieve our goals. Let’s go!

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

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.

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/

We are incredibly proud of our facility in Osceola, Arkansas, that has achieved 7 million production hours without a lost time accident! The work our associates have put toward elevating safety standards and adapting policies to ensure the best working conditions is a testament to the commitment DENSO has made to create a culture of safety at our facilities around North America.

On September 5, 2019, DENSO Manufacturing Arkansas will host a celebration of this milestone as part of “Safety Day.” Learn more about this achievement here.

“As manufacturing evolves, so too must our practices to keep employees safe,” said Kenichiro Ito, senior executive officer for DENSO Corporation and chief executive officer of DENSO’s North American Headquarters. “Our employees drive DENSO’s success on a national and international scale. Their health, safety and happiness are of paramount importance, so it is crucial that we promote safety policies that offer the best protections possible.”

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.

So, who is DENSO ADC? Check out the video below to learn more about the teams behind our QR Code innovation:

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

DENSO Group’s representative from Industrial Mechanics Millwright (Japan) won a Gold medal at the 45th WorldSkills International Competition which was held in Kazan, the Russian Federation from August 22 to 27.

The DENSO Group sent a record number of 20 entrants to the event to compete in 10 skills: 11 Japanese participated in Polymechanics and Automation, Manufacturing Team Challenge, Mechatronics, Mobile Robotics, Industrial Control, Industrial Mechanic Millwright, and Cloud Computing; three Thais in Polymechanics and Automation, CNC Turning, and CNC Milling; two Indonesians in CNC Milling and Industrial Control; two Vietnamese in CNC Turning and CNC Milling; and two Mexicans in CNC Milling and Plastic Die Engineering.

DENSO first entered the WorldSkills International Competition at the 20th event in 1971, and has won a total of 69 medals to date: 33 golds, 18 silvers, and 18 bronzes. DENSO has won its 15th straight gold medal since the 31st contest in 1991.

DENSO considers the development of technology and sophisticated engineering skills and know-how to turn technology into practical applications to be two of the most fundamental components of its monozukuri or the art of making things. DENSO participates in the WorldSkills International Competition not only to accomplish good results, but also to develop promising young technicians mentally, technically, and physically into highly-skilled workers who can inherit DENSO’s accumulated skills through systematic, special training for this competition.

DENSO will continue to foster young technicians to pass on its skills to the next generation through training and participation in the WorldSkills International Competition.

Gold Medal Winner
Skill: Industrial Mechanics Millwright
Contestant: Yujiro Sakamoto

DENSO’s contestants and medals won

This month, auto industry leaders and influencers gathered at the annual Center for Automotive Research’s (CAR) Management Briefing Seminars (MBS) in Traverse City, Michigan. And while the focus was on the future of the industry and the technologies that will drive it, there also was formal and informal discussions about the talent necessary to get the industry where it wants to be.

As part of a panel discussion, Kara Grasso, vice president of Strategic Operations at DENSO, spoke about how automotive and mobility companies can attract and retain technical talent as well as how a diverse workforce enables greater innovative thinking, brings different perspectives to the decision-making process and accelerates the pace of R&D.

In addition to having Grasso share her talent attraction insight, DENSO also sponsored the MBS Student Program, which provides undergraduate students interested in pursuing a career in the auto industry to participate in the event. Students had the opportunity to engage with industry leaders and executives to learn about current issues the industry faces as well as get first-hand experience with some of the advanced technologies that will be on future vehicles.

These activities, along with our IGNITE program, which offers new hires the opportunity to work in different jobs at various DENSO locations for two years, are ways in which the company is adapting to attract and keep a diversified workforce.

To learn more about Grasso’s remarks at MBS, read this Automotive News article.

This weekend, DENSO Sales Canada, Inc., is excited to sponsor the 2019 Japan Festival CANADA, the largest Japanese cultural event in North America. The annual celebration promotes Japan’s contemporary and traditional culture, food, technology, and fashion. This year’s event, held August 24-25, 2019, in Mississauga, Ontario, is focused on celebrating 90 years of diplomatic relations between Japan and Canada.

DENSO’s relationship with Canada is a special one. From founding DENSO Sales Canada in 1972 in Mississauga, Ontario, to recently celebrating the 20^th anniversary of our thermal facility in Guelph, Ontario, to opening the Montréal Innovation Lab, we have been shaping the future of advanced mobility and providing high-quality jobs to Canada’s diverse and talented workforce for nearly 50 years.

“DENSO has had a strong presence and deep commitment to Canada and its local communities for much time now. As a global mobility supplier with Japanese roots, we’re proud to support an event that celebrates the close cultural and business ties between these two great nations,” said Kenichiro Ito, senior executive officer for DENSO Corporation and chief executive officer of DENSO’s North American headquarters.

Learn more about our sponsorship of the Japan Festival CANADA here.

Graduation season may technically be over, but this month, we squeezed in one more ceremony for the six participants of our IGNITE Program. A two-year rotational program for graduates, IGNITE offers structured career development and assignments across DENSO businesses and geographies. The “graduating class” included:

• Tanner Mann, DPAM – AOES Sales
• Ginelle Reed, DIAM – Strategic Planning
• Spenser Pawlik, DIAM – Cockpit Systems 3
• Will Ripley, DMTN – IS PE
• Ashley Thompson, DMAT – Fuel Injector PE
• Daniel Pfaff, DIAM – Electrification

The program not only provides participants with incredible individual experiences as they kick off their careers, but what they learn, the relationships they make and the insights they gain benefit DENSO. Whether helping to reach our Long- or Mid-term Policies, support our advancement in CASE technologies or just work better as ONE DENSO, these six professionals are now armed with valuable knowledge, skills and relationships to drive DENSO to craft the future of mobility.

Will Ripley explains, “We agree that IGNITE was an incredible experience for us as individuals, but I also can see the benefit it has for the company. By having experience with various locations and associates, we gained well-rounded knowledge of company, which helps us each to become the best versions of ourselves. At the same time, we have become multifaceted, highly trained and skilled assets to DENSO. It’s a win-win!”

Though they all entered and left the program with different skill sets and had different experiences in their rotations, they all agree that IGNITE gave them a better understanding of the company, its culture and the DENSO Spirit.

“One of my greatest takeaways from the IGNITE program is understanding and embracing the DENSO Spirit. I learned about its purpose and what it means to our culture, and then I recognized people who embrace it in everything they do. This inspired me to use the DENSO Spirit factors as my key motivation each day – I did this throughout my rotation and continue to do so today,” said Tanner Mann.

Congrats to our IGNITE Program graduates – we can’t wait to see where your careers take you and DENSO!

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/

Earlier this year, Dr. Jeff McCord was named Commissioner of the State of Tennessee Labor & Workforce Development Department. Hand-picked by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Dr. McCord oversees divisions and programs that provide a vast array of services that support jobs and workforce development.

Last week, Commissioner McCord visited DMTN Plants 203 and 204 to talk about workforce development, tour the facilities and talk with associates. The first member of Governor Lee’s staff to visit DMTN, Commissioner McCord said he was very impressed with the DENSO facilities and associates. During remarks to plant and Maryville Community leadership, he pledged to continue workforce development programs during his term.

Ongoing workforce development is critical to help DENSO meet its Long-term Policy 2030 – without talented associates, we cannot achieve our goals – and it supports the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. The SDGs are a global, shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.

Thank you to those who made this high-profile visit possible: Mr. Nakamizo, Chuntao Ye, Jack Helmboldt, Britt Autry, Charlie Chujo, Mike Peevy, David Byrum, Kay Morrison, and the DMTN S&H/Communications/Community Relations/GA/HR/NAITS teams.

Click here to read McCord’s comments on his visit and view more photos. 

Commissioner McCord talking to DMTN associates on a tour of the plants. 

This year, Benjamin Sweet, senior embedded software engineer at DENSO, served as a judge at Lawrence Technological University’s (LTU) 20th Robofest World Championship, a competition that provides fun STEM activities for students interested in autonomous robotics. We spoke to Benjamin to learn more about his experience and the incredible ideas kids had for our future with robots.

How and why did you get involved in Robofest?

I’ve been an adjunct instructor at LTU since 1994 and have known Dr. CJ Chung, the founder of Robofest, for more than 20 years. DENSO has been supporting Robofest and LTU for some time so when Dr. Chung asked if I’d like to be a judge, I accepted because I thought it would be a great opportunity to help both organizations that I’m a part of in a unique way.

What was your favorite part about being a judge?

This was my first time being a judge for the exhibition portion of the event, where students had to come up with an idea for how robots might be used to solve world issues. It was really interesting to see what the students thought of. I also thought it was great having so many teams come from all over the world, and I loved witnessing the effort and hard work that the kids put into their projects!

Were there any ideas that stuck out to you?

One group of students came up with an idea to sort recyclables using robotics and sensors. While it wasn’t very complex, it was made out of 3D printed parts and it worked! Another team tried to create a smart backpack or jacket for bikers that used sensor modules and lights, which acted as turn signals. It was impressive to see that at such young ages, students had these ideas and could put together the hardware and software to make them happen.

Why is working with kids so important for DENSO and for the future of engineering?

It’s important to inspire the next generation because they can take technology we have now and elevate it to the next level. Getting kids involved in STEM can also help prepare them for the competitive nature of the global economy, especially in today’s tech-centered society. Events like Robofest can get kids excited about subjects such as math and science by showing them that they can make an idea tangible through technology and programming.

While Benjamin generously devoted his time to this year’s event, DENSO was also a platinum sponsor of Robofest and worked closely with LTU to include MacArthur K – 8 University Academy, a school located in DENSO HQ’s hometown of Southfield, MI, in the contest. Earlier this month, the school’s 4th-8th grade students visited our Southfield, MI location to show off the robotics they used in the competition and to learn more about sensor technologies from DENSO engineers.

Learn more about DENSO’s involvement in Robofest here.

Students visit DENSO’s North American Headquarters in Southfield, Michigan, to show off their bots.

Students compete at 20th Robofest World Championship at Lawrence Tech University in May.

Students dig into robotics at a Robofest summer camp in Southeast Michigan.

We are all in this together. And for many of us, DENSO is our home away from home. Because of this, it is critical that we develop a strong sense of comradery, community, and to have as much fun as possible along the way!

This is incredibly important. The majority of us in the USA do not like our jobs. According to a June 2017 Gallup Poll, only 15% of the world’s one billion full-time workers are engaged at work. It is significantly better in the U.S., at around 30% engaged, but this still means that roughly 70% of American workers aren’t engaged.

On some level, this makes sense. If something is super-duper fun, people will line up to do it for free. And sometimes really important things can, unfortunately, be a bit dull.

But I’ve discovered one huge secret to a good work life: Having a sense of comradery with your co-workers! If you enjoy being around the people you work with every day, then that makes a job significantly more rewarding. We all still have a job to do, but it’s a lot more fun with co-workers like mine.

It’s important that we see our co-workers as friends. When people ask me what I like about my job the most, my answer is always something along the lines of: I like the people I work with! I like our inside jokes, I like how we discuss our personal lives, and I like that I am able to feel comfortable in my own skin when I’m at work. Oh, and my co-worker Eli Aksovski’s shoes.

With that in mind, I’d like to give a couple of examples of teambuilding from my group!

Example 1: Laser Tag

One great way to spend time with co-workers outside of work is to play a friendly game of laser tag! Our group did this, recently, and it was a great way to bond, and create stories together. In between each laser tag match, we reveled in our favorite moments from the match. (Followed by some strategy-based discussion for the next match!)

Examples 2: Celebrating Milestones

In our group, we have a time-honored tradition (going back over 10 years!) of making a total celibratory mess of someone’s desk, whenever they celebrate a major life change or milestone, like becoming  a parent.

Here’s an example from Rich Kraepel, going back over 10 years:

Our group was lucky enough to have two recent examples this year, targeting Joe Lubinski, and Andrew Kelly!

For long-time DIAM member Joe Lubinski’s desk, we decided to encompass his entire desk, wrapping it life a gift!

For Andrew Kelly’s desk, as some of DIAM associates may have noticed on your way to the Cafeteria, we decided to get creative with the streamers, with a few different types, including a multi-colored twist technique.

Example 3: Volunteering

Last year, our group helped box food for Focus Hope, in Detroit. It was a great way to help out our local area, and work as a team. We managed to pack 885 boxes of food for homebound seniors.

What are some things your groups do, to build that sense of DENSO comradery? Let me know in the comments!

This is the fourth year DENSO Manufacturing North Carolina (DMNC) has sponsored NASCAR Whelen driver Akinori Ogata.

DMNC’s Statesville location is in the heart of US auto racing country making the partnership a win-win.

Ogata visited DMNC’s Statesville location on May 17 to meet with associates before his May 18 race. The DENSO team was also present at the May 18 race giving out swag and hero cards.

Learn more about Ogata’s story, love for racing, and DENSO’s sponsorship here.

As a child in Sagamihara, a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, Akinori Ogata grew up next to a motorcycle shop, and watching them repair motorcycles sparked his passion for motorsports.

“I watched them repair motorcycles, but at that time I was more interested in racing cars,” shares Ogata. “However, once the shop people gave me a motocross bike to try my hand at racing, I found that I really enjoyed motocross racing too. I made it a goal to become a professional motocross racer.”

Ogata was 14 when his race career began in Japan and after a decade of 2-wheel racing, he switched to 4-wheel driving at the age of 24 in the pursuit of his dream of driving for NASCAR in the United States. He achieved this by debuting for NASCAR in 2003, and is one of only three Japanese drivers currently driving in a NASCAR series.  His new dream now is to make it to the NASCAR Cup Series (which is equivalent to the “Super Bowl of NASCAR”).

That’s when he came to the attention of DENSO Manufacturing North Carolina (DMNC), and not long after, they became one of Ogata’s sponsors.

“Sponsorship at the local track allows more accessibility to our local community and an opportunity to get DENSO’s name out,” said John Brown, Vice President, HR, Admin, CC, Special Projects and SHE. “Whether associates are racing fans or not, seeing their own company logo on the side of a race car creates a sense of pride.”

This is DMNC’s fourth year sponsoring Ogata. For the first three years, his vehicle featured the ASMO logo. With ASMO’s integration with DENSO in 2019, Car 14 now features the DENSO logo for three races this race series.

DMNC’s Statesville location is in the heart of US auto racing country.

Per Brown, “the community is surprised to know that they have a company in their community that provides motors for all automotive makers and that their car possibly has a motor made right here in Statesville. They didn’t realize that automotive manufacturing had a presence locally.”

Ogata is grateful for DENSO’s sponsorship of his car and support of his dream to win a NASCAR series race.

“DENSO is very involved in racing in Japan, so I am proud to carry the name on my car in the United States and help bring brand name recognition.”

The DENSO-sponsored race car finished fourth in the April 27 race held at Hickory Motor Speedway.  A crash during the May 18 race dashed his hopes of an even higher finish. Ogata is not letting this set him back and will keeping chasing his dream again on June 22.

Ogata with his first motorcross bike

Ogata and DENSO Car 14

Ogata meetgs President Arima at DENSO’s global headquarters in Japan earlier in 2019

Check out photos of Ogata meeting the DMNC Statesville team here!

Amy Brock has been using her talents and bringing her passion for partnerships to the various roles she has held at DENSO over the past 25 years. From Purchasing to General Administration, and now in her current role as Advanced Specialist of Community Relations at DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee, she’s focused on building and strengthening relationships with internal and external customers to help DENSO grow.

“It’s important for me to build relationships with our associates and in our community. I want to strengthen and support the area where we live. As the area’s largest employer in Blount County, we have a responsibility to support and give back to our community.

I remember for the 204 plant grand opening event in 2018, we invited many community partners, government and business leaders, and associates to join us. It took a lot of time and coordination, working with different groups within DENSO, coordinating schedules, and making sure everyone was aligned. When you’re caught up in that day-to-day, it can be challenging. But, I remember, at the event, looking around and seeing more than 800 people gather for the same purpose. It was so powerful and inspiring. We came together and worked toward a common goal to build and celebrate this place that positively impacts so many lives.

As the industry changes, as DENSO changes, we need to realize we’re in this as one DENSO. We’re going through tremendous change and need to collaborate with one another. When we run into a challenge, we can face it together and reach a common solution that benefits our associates, our company and our community.”

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

Car crashes are the number-one cause of death among teens in the United States. Even scarier – more than 90 percent of all crashes are caused by human error, such as texting, speeding or impaired driving. To end preventable injuries and death, DENSO has donated $125,000 in 2019 to extend and expand its partnership with national teen defensive driving program B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe).

Founded by NHRA drag racing star Doug Herbert, the B.R.A.K.E.S. charity offers young drivers across the country, and their parents, free, extensive behind-the-wheel training to reduce auto crashes.

DENSO and B.R.A.K.E.S. are committed to educating drivers of all ages on the dangers of distracted driving. We hit the track at the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals race in Las Vegas, April 5-7, to talk to NHRA drivers about the importance of safe driving.

Stay tuned over the next month to hear what NHRA drivers had to say about distracted driving.

As the world’s second largest mobility supplier, a global champion of R&D and an industry leader in sustainability, DENSO’s goals are as diverse as its operations. A few years ago, leadership recognized the need to clearly articulate the company’s goals and tactics resulting in the long-term policy 2030 and long-term plan 2025. David Williams, a six-year DENSO employee who has served in a number of different positions related to strategy and business planning had a critical role in developing this global plan and the corresponding sales roadmap. The big picture outlook required for this type of work directly inspired his core value: Vision.

“A successful leader needs vision more than anything else, as he/she is the ultimate keeper of the dream, the one making the rally cry for everyone to get behind,” said Williams. “However, setting the vision is only step one. A leader’s integrity is measured by how closely they actually follow their own vision while adhering to the values of the organization.”

Williams now showcases his commitment to vision daily in his current role as Director, Automotive Original Equipment Service Group, DPAM. He recently worked with a group of associates to show them how their business development role fit into the larger company ecosystem. This empowering process led the group to feel confident and encouraged to try something different. With a clear goal and plan in mind, the group went out and secured a great remanufacturing client win.

“If you keep the vision a living, breathing part of your work, people will better understand how it relates to them and vice versa, leading to increased engagement and satisfaction.”

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.

DENSO was Emilee’s first job out of college. Nine years later – she’s still here getting things done, working in the Total Industrial Engineering (TIE) group in Athens, Tennessee. For Emilee, creativity is at the core of problem-solving and dealing with uncertainty.

From earning her Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Tennessee, to navigating her career path at DENSO, Emilee has long understood it takes creativity to solve difficult problems, deliver quality work and design innovative solutions.

“One of my first TIE projects at DENSO involved a machine modification. Before kaizen (improvement), there were many inefficiencies in the process. I used creativity to re-design this machine by building a mock model completely out of scrap cardboard.  By using what was readily available, I quickly constructed a prototype that we could use in cross-functional team meetings.  The model was detailed to the point where we could simulate the process flow with associates to get their feedback on the standard hand motions and product placement.  This activity made it possible for us to understand the footprint requirements, estimate the cycle time and improve ergonomics before the final machine was constructed.  We were able to save DENSO time and money by focusing on an efficient line from the design phase.

The future will require all of us to be innovative and work together.  Don’t be afraid of your wild ideas.  Speak up, be ambitious and work together to enhance the visions and dreams around you.”

– Emilee Davis, Total Industrial Engineering, Athens, TN

Whether she’s building DENSO’s latest innerfin technology or raising her five daughters, Ashley Smith is focused on being resilient.

“Being a mom is good preparation for working in manufacturing,” Ashley said. “You have to work fast without getting overwhelmed, adapt constantly and keep stress in its place.”

Ashley’s daughters range in ages from 10 to 1 year old, so stress is a way of life. But, she says, it’s all worth it for the stability and rewarding work she has at DENSO.

“Good pay and benefits mean a lot to me and my family. My girls know I build car parts and that I work hard,” Ashley said. “If I’m not strong, who are they going to look up to?”

Ashley’s resilience was tested during the last economic downturn when she was let go as a temporary employee. She was eager to return to manufacturing and hired in as a DENSO associate in 2011.

“The product in my area recently changed to new, innerfin technology,” Ashley said. “DENSO is always introducing new, innovative products, so that’s part of being resilient for me. You have to keep learning and keep challenging yourself.”

Today, we’d like to announce executive leadership changes and appointments across its North America organization to advance our long-term commitment to create new value for the future of mobility.

Effective April 1, 2019, these executive changes are an example of how DENSO is changing the way we operate to achieve our Long-term Policy 2030. Specifically, these changes are part of Management Reform.

Part of long-term policy 2030, Management Reform is DENSO’s approach to transform our management team and structure to work with tremendous speed and efficiency. This will help us remain competitive, allowing us to operate more efficiently and accelerate our decision-making process.

Watch the video to learn more about the changes:

North America Executive Leadership Changes

Executive Officers:

Shinichi Nakamizo will serve as executive officer of DENSO Corporation. In addition, he will serve as executive officer of North America Manufacturing and president of DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee (DMTN). He will transition from his current role as president of DENSO Manufacturing Mexico (DNMX).

Steve Milam will serve as executive officer of DENSO Corporation. In addition, he will serve as North America Corporate executive officer, executive officer of North America Powertrain Systems Business, and executive officer of Electrification Systems Business. He will transition from his current role as chief executive officer of DENSO’s North America Thermal Systems Center (TAC) Business Group.

Jack Helmboldt will resign as executive director of DENSO Corporation and retire as president of DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee. He will continue to serve as president emeritus of DMTN, and executive advisor to DENSO, providing guidance, knowledge and support to DENSO’s business operations and manufacturing leadership development. Helmboldt will also continue to serve as a representative for DENSO in its External Affairs, government and community efforts.

Business Leaders:

Andris Staltmanis will serve as North America Thermal Systems Center (TAC) Business lead. He will transition from his current role as president of DENSO Manufacturing Michigan (DMMI).

Marty Deschenes will serve as North America Gasoline Systems Business lead and North America Exhaust Aftertreatment Systems Business lead. In addition, he will serve as president of DENSO Manufacturing Athens Tennessee (DMAT). He will transition from his current role as Electrification Systems Business lead and vice president of Electrification Systems at DMTN.

Shuji Kimoto will serve as head of Motors Manufacturing Division 2 for DENSO Corporation. He will transition from his current role as president of ASMO North Carolina.

Masanori Iyama will serve as North America Motors Business lead. In addition, he will serve as president of DENSO Manufacturing North Carolina, previously known as ASMO. Effective April 1, 2019, ASMO will be integrated into DENSO and assume its name as DENSO Manufacturing North Carolina (DMNC). Iyama will transition from his current role as head of Motor Planning Division for DENSO Corporation.

Jon Callies will serve as North America Electric Components Business and North America Electrification Components Business lead. He will transition from his current role as director of Electrification Manufacturing at DMTN.

Functional Leaders:

In addition to his executive officer appointment, Steve Milam will serve as head of North America Human Resources.

Yukio Asano will end his expatriate assignment and return to Japan. He will transition from his current role as executive vice president of Corporate Function.

Makoto Hasegawa will serve as head of North America Corporate Division Finance Group. He will transition from his current role as executive coordinator of Corporate Function.

Dave Grimmer will serve as head of North America Production Innovation Center (NAPIC) Division. He will transition from his current role as vice president of HVAC Operations at DMMI.

Satoshi “Scott” Inukai will serve as head of Mobility Systems Manufacturing for DENSO Corporation. He will transition from his current role as senior vice president of NAPIC Division.

Affiliate Leaders:

In addition to his executive officer appointment, Shinichi Nakamizo will serve as president of DMTN. He will transition from his current role as president of DNMX.

Mitsuru Kato will serve as president of DNMX. He will transition from his current role as director of Production Engineering Division for DENSO Corporation.

In addition to his role as business lead, Marty Deschenes will serve as president of DMAT. He will transition from his current role as Electrification Systems Business lead and vice president of Electrification Systems at DMTN.

Takeshi Nagasaka will end his expatriate assignment and return to Japan. He will transition from his current role as president of DMAT.

Kevin Carson will serve as president of DMMI. He will transition from his current role as vice president of Engine Cooling Module (ECM) Operations for DENSO’s TAC Business Group.

In addition to his role as business lead, Masanori Iyama will serve as president of DMNC. He will transition from his current role as head of Motor Planning Division for DENSO Corporation.

Global Personnel & Organizational Change:

DENSO Corp. also announced today changes to its executive structure and management team to operate more efficiently and accelerate its decision-making process, and to ensure the right people are in the appropriate positions during this critical time, effective April 1, 2019.

With the increasing deployment of vehicle electrification and automated driving technologies, DENSO also announced changes to its global organizational structure, effective April 1, 2019. Thus, its chassis control business section will be separated from the Electric Components Business Unit and become the Chassis Control Components Business Unit. This will allow for more dedicated focus and accelerated R&D and collaboration.

For more information about global personnel and organizational changes, click here.

DENSO’s Long-term and Mid-term Policies are Lean Management Tools

Did you ever wonder why we roll out Mid-term and Long-term policies every few years? Why do we call them policies? And what do they even mean to me? We assure you, there’s a method to our madness. And there’s even a name for the method we use. It’s called Hoshin Kanri.

Hoshin Kanri

Our Long-term Policy sets a long-term goal looking approximately ten years ahead. This approach, the word “policy” comes from “hoshin kanri”.

Hoshin Kanri is a method for ensuring that the strategic goals of a company drive progress and action at every level within a company. Also called Policy Deployment, Hoshin Kanri is an approach that strives to get every associate pulling in the same direction at the same time. It achieves this by aligning the goals of the company (Strategy) with the plans of middle management (Tactics) and the work performed by all associates (Operations). This approach is at the heart of lean manufacturing and Six Sigma.

HOSHIN = Direction or Sharp Needle. Kanri = Management. The two words together = Compass

The Method: Our Planning Process

• Our Long-term Policy sets a long-term goal looking approximately ten years ahead.
• The Mid-term Policy specifies mid-term strategies necessary to achieve our Long-term Policy.
• The Mid-term plan is subsequently broken down in to the Annual Plan. These plans are finally incorporated in the annual activity target and daily efforts for each of us.

Shared Vision

It’s a proven fact we perform best when we have a purpose. Hoshin Kanri helps create a global purpose, and provides focus and drive toward specific goals. When we understand WHY things are important, it helps us do our jobs.

Right now, our leadership teams are working on annual planning for Fiscal Year 2019. These plans will help each business group, product group, team and individual associate, determine their targets and actions for the next year – the targets and actions that will help us get one step closer to our long-term vision goal.

Learn more about our vision for the future here.

“If you don’t do things differently, you’ll never progress,” according to Derek Sneideraitis, manager of Sales at DENSO.

But, doing things differently isn’t easy. That’s the fuel behind Derek’s core: Never give up.

“Never give up was the first thing to come to mind because placing blame or letting things go never sit well with me. It’s not in my fabric. I need the challenge. If you believe in something, you can achieve it.”

Working for DENSO, Derek has been able to put his motto into practice. Last year was an especially challenging year for him and his team. Derek recalls:

“We had several crises going on at the same time. Our customer was running into vehicle side issues, creating challenges and delays in launching their new flagship truck. They leaned on DENSO for support with only a few weeks notice . Jumping in to help fix another supplier’s issue isn’t the norm; it’s not something we planned on doing. But, the customer trusted DENSO and knew we were up for the challenge.

At the same time, my team was working on securing future business. It was an incredibly busy and trying time for the team. It really took the entire Global DENSO team to pull through. There wasn’t a map on how to get through it. Everyone really stepped up, came together, and relied on one another and DENSO’s core values to find our way through to the end.”

In the end, Derek’s team was able to achieve what they set out to do. They helped the customer launch its flagship, and secured future business, ultimately helping create goodwill and stability for DENSO business and production. The customer praised DENSO with letters of recognition and appreciation at its annual supplier event.

“With all the changes in the industry, it’s easy to give up after something doesn’t work out,” said Derek. “Having a ‘never give up’ mindset is important. We need to take ownership to move each other, and the company, forward. We’re in this together, and we have the core values we need to pull through. We are capable of great things.”

DENSO is committed to a culture where every associate’s diverse talents and strong passion enable us to contribute to a better world. What’s at your core? What are you passionate about? What drives and motivates you? We want to hear from you.

Our vision for the future

DENSO’s long-term policy 2030, which was launched last year, guides the company toward its 2030 goal: to create and inspire new value for the future of mobility.

Global President Arima expanded on this in his New Year message to associates in January. In his speech, he referred to DENSO’s long-term policy as DENSO’s second founding, the largest shift in business strategy in our 70-year history. It’s a drastic change in mindset and approach, to keep up with the rapid changes in the industry and in society.

“Our long-term vision is a future with enhanced mobility, safety and peace of mind, with less impact on the environment. We still have a deep commitment to protecting lives, but we are ready to realize our second founding,” said Arima. “This means we must change our own organization to prevail in the rapidly changing business landscape and provide value to our customers that goes beyond a vehicle-centric focus to enrich society’s broader needs.”

DENSO’s long-term policy provides an overview of what the company needs to do to transform and be a leader in this rapidly changing industry. It also provides associates with a guide on how we can be united in our approach and help achieve our long-term vision.

Learn more about our vision for the future here.

In the wake of Global President Arima’s New Year message, our teams are left pondering next steps, what we need to do to contribute to DENSO’s transformation. Chris Ramsey, senior manager of Business Planning at DENSO’s Maryville, Tenn., facility, is no different. But, at his core, he believes faith and courage are what he, and DENSO, needs to move forward.

Faith

Starting his career at DENSO more than 20 years ago and working his way up through Cost Accounting and Business Planning, Chris has seen a thing or two. And still, he says, “I believe in the future. I have faith in DENSO, and the people of this company, that we’re going to make a better future for the world.”

Chris shares this perspective having experienced tough times during his DENSO career:

“In 2009, when all was looking bleak from a business point of view, [DENSO] found a way to overcome. We found a way to keep our people employed, and found a new way for us to operate. We re-evaluated our operations, processes – everything. We became more competitive and stronger. Our people learned about themselves and what is really, truly possible.

“This is only one example that shows our associates are in it for the long haul – it’s not just a job at DENSO, it’s a way of life. There are a lot of different ways to make more money, but I don’t think that’s why people work here. We’re working for the people we’re with. We’re always pushing one another to find new ways to overcome challenges.”

Courage

For Chris, “faith” and “courage” go hand-in-hand.

“Courage means the courage to change, to be different, and to know when it’s time to be different and change. I believe we should question everything and not only do something because someone says we need to. Be true to your values and trust (have faith) in your potential. You have to be yourself.”

In 2015, executives asked a group of senior leaders at DENSO’s Maryville facility, including Chris, how they could improve their targets in quality, safety, cost, and delivery. Usually, a request like this is followed by a quick meeting, hurried action plan, assignments, due dates, follow-up meetings, and so on. Chris and other senior leaders decided to take a stand and put a stop to that routine. They wanted to truly dig into the core issues behind their targets.

After several discussions, the team concluded it was their mindset, their way of working, that caused them to fall short of their targets. Everyone worked in a silo. Each function was working toward their own goals, not trying to understand how they impacted other functions. It was a tough truth to face.

The team tackled it head-on. Through several discussions, off-site workshops and meetings, the group was able to break down barriers between functions and leaders. Chris recalled, “It wasn’t always comfortable, and it sure wasn’t easy, but, after 25 years of operation, Maryville’s leaders, from all our different areas, were starting to think and work more closely together.”

Putting it all together

“Mr. Arima described this time as the second birth of our company. There are many ways to feel about that, most are probably scared or excited. We have lots of things to be concerned about – huge shifts in the mobility market, consumer habits, new competitors, and more. I believe faith is necessary because faith in this sense means we must believe in our potential. It’s not an option for us to move forward without faith in ourselves and each other. If our future is to be, it’s up to us to make it happen, and I have faith that we will all do what’s necessary to achieve our future potential.

“To make the future happen not only takes faith, but also courage. Courage is not the absence of fear, but doing what’s needed in spite of it.  If we don’t have a sense of fear or crisis then we are not being realistic. However, we cannot be lead or paralyzed by it. We must press on. Find new paths, fail fast and learn fast. The future of DENSO depends on how fast we can fail and learn and our courage to keep doing both.”

DENSO is committed to a culture where every associate’s diverse talents and strong passion enable us to contribute to a better world. What’s at your core? What are you passionate about? What drives and motivates you? We want to hear from you.

We’ve been hearing a lot of buzzwords, lately: paradigm shift, mobility, change. What does it all mean, and how does it apply to our jobs here at DENSO? Are they mere words, or are we really going to see their effect?

I had the honor of attending the New Year Ceremony event on January 9 to hear President Arima’s special message live. With all of the excitement of President Arima’s speech winding down, and we’ve all hopefully had time to digest it, I figured it was time to share my thoughts. (For those who have not heard Arima’s New Year message, check it out here! Or read DENSO’s long term plans here!)

It’s important that we get a discussion going about this, so please share your thoughts in the comments, below.

Here is my takeaway:

1. It was awesome that our President came to visit us here in North America! Before this year, I wasn’t even aware that this type of event took place at DENSO. Rotating the New Year’s message to a different location every year is a much more inclusive, global approach. (This is a major proof point of DENSO starting to change!)
2. The automotive industry is changing at an accelerating pace. (It’s not just changing, but the rate of change is picking up speed!) It’s a very good sign for DENSO’s future that our President recognizes this. We cannot assume that change will happen at the same ol’ pace, or we will get left behind. Companies like Blockbuster, Polaroid, and Borders were not able to adapt quickly – as a result, they failed to stay relevant. This is a potential reality that could happen to any company. (We cannot assume DENSO is immune to this.) I plan on discussing technological changes/progress in more detail in a future blog post, so stay tuned for that.
3. One key take-away is that we must be ready to move faster. This is critical, because I’ve seen –firsthand– that our primary customer complaint is that we are too slow. (Usually while complementing our excellent quality, in the very next breath.) We, as a company – as one big 170,000+ person team – are now tasked with learning to move faster, while maintaining our quality. This is no easy task, but I know we’re up to it!
4. The buzzwords I mentioned up top are not mere words. One example that President Arima gave was about a fully automated and electric vehicle (around 10 minutes and 20 seconds into the video of his speech). Is it developed by Amazon? Google? Some new high-tech start up? No; DENSO helped to make that dream come true! This proves that we’re not all talk. We are taking action! (That was my favorite part of President Arima’s talk!)
5. Given that this is considered our “Second Founding”, I was expecting a very specific announcement. Like “We will be paring with Google and changing our company name to Den-Google!” (Not exactly that, of course!) I’m a bit relieved it was nothing that extreme, but I’ll admit: Part of me wanted some singular huge thing to stand out. I was left thinking: “OK, it’s great that we’re ready to move quickly as the industry changes…but what are the next steps?”
6. As a GM resident engineer, I’m seeing and hearing first-hand GM strongly pushing the direction of autonomous vehicles, and electrification, as part of their Zero, Zero, Zero policy. This meshes well with DENSO’s future plans. It’s an encouraging sign to see that more big companies (like GM and us!) are aligning about the future. Internal Combustion Engines are not going to be completely gone for some time now…but the future truly is going to be autonomous and electric vehicles, which changes everything.
7. I’m starting to see more and more indications that the “automotive industry” has become the “mobility industry”. This makes sense. It’s not just about personal vehicle ownership, anymore. Even in one of my links above, regarding DENSO’s long term plans: The word “automotive” is mentioned 3 times. The word “mobility” is used 5 times.
8. It was a very lovely time meeting people from different regions at DENSO! Everyone seemed to have a great time, overall. Even an introvert like me had a good time, and I’m glad that I went. If you ever find yourself invited to a global event like this in future years, I recommend that you jump at the chance! You’ll find that you have a lot in common with people from other regions; we share a lot of the same challenges in our day to day life.

Agree or disagree with me? Or want to share your thoughts on the message? Please leave your comments, below!

Meet Dustin Mitchell, DENSO engineer and blogger. DENSO is committed to a culture where every associate’s diverse talents and strong passion enable us to contribute to a better world. What’s at your core? What are you passionate about? What drives and motivates you? We want to hear from you.

DENSO Spirit has been our guiding principles, the foundation, behind our innovation, quality, determination, and customer focus over the past 70 years.

As DENSO has grown to more than 170,000 people, 220 facilities, operating in 35 countries and regions around the world, we have drifted from our spirit.

In his New Year message, President Arima challenged: “Because we are busy, are we missing our foundational spirit? Are we avoiding risks?”

To achieve our long-term policy goal, and lead a transformation in the automotive industry, Arima challenges associates to go back to our spirit – strengthen our understanding and practice of our guiding principles. He redefines the DENSO Spirit values to help bring them to life for associates:

Think Things Through

“‘Thinking things through’ means identifying the deeper meaning behind the issue, not just looking at the surface. I want you to think, think and think through with a future-oriented view,” Arima said. “The more you think, the more you see what you should do.”

Come Together

“When we gather our individual power, we can maximize our performance, make changes and keep on challenging.”

Get Things Done

“When you find what you should do, then get things done. The bigger dream you have, the bigger challenge you will face. You are the owner of your dream. It is your job.”

Watch videos on how our Mexico team is thinking things through, coming together and getting things done.

DENSO’s long-term policy, which was launched last year, guides the company toward our 2030 goal: to create and inspire new value for the future of mobility.

As a company, DENSO announced a shift in business strategy, expanding into software-based solutions in addition to our hardware expertise. This pushes our focus beyond car parts, looking at services like car sharing, and software and technologies that advance mobility (connecting cars, people and things to improve freedom of movement).

Shifting our strategy is only the beginning. In his New Year message and in our long-term policy, President Arima stresses the importance of our people to craft the future.

“To overcome this paradigm shift, which is bringing about unprecedented change, and realize further growth, all of our associates must be keen on anticipating change and taking on new challenges under the strong conviction of delivering new value to the world,” Arima states in the long-term policy. “We view this period of change as the era of our second founding, and I believe that each of our associates must take action by carrying out their [commitments] in a highly energetic manner if we are to accomplish this second founding.”

Over the past 70 years, we have become one of the largest automotive suppliers in the world. We did this through our strong foundation of DENSO Spirit – building trust (Credibility), looking to the future to provide advanced technology and value to our customers (Foresight), and working together (Collaboration).

To understand where we are today, and what we need to do to navigate the changing future, in his New Year message, President Arima asked associates to reflect on DENSO’s history and foundation.

“DENSO Spirit was our engine to craft our future. Because we are busy, are we missing our foundational spirit? Are we avoiding risks,” Arima challenged.

As the automotive industry undergoes a radical transformation with autonomous driving, electrification, car sharing and more, President Arima asks associates to find their spirit once again.

We call it our second founding.

Stay tuned to learn more about President Arima’s message, his vision for our future, and expectations for associates.

In Japan, every year, associates look forward to the president’s New Year message. Associates are eager to hear about the company direction and president’s expectations for associates moving forward.

This year, President Arima gave his New Year message in a different region – North America – and, presented to a global audience. Why?

DENSO is about to change.

In his introduction to President Arima, Ken Ito, president and CEO of DENSO International America, explained why Detroit and North America was a symbolic location for DENSO’s first global New Year Ceremony outside of Japan:

“More than 100 years ago Henry Ford launched the first assembly line down the street from this very building. That innovation helped spark a radical transformation of both manufacturing and society. It gave people freedom of mobility and changed the way people worked and lived.”

President Arima ‘s message echoed President Ito’s words:

“DENSO is about to change. Why are we changing? Because we are facing a great transformation in society.”

He talked about the radical transformation the automotive industry is undergoing. Today, autonomous driving is becoming a reality. Products are changing with electrification. Cars are no longer only for transportation; they’re connecting people to infrastructure and home life.

“Who will make these dreams come true,” Arima challenges. IT companies such as Amazon or Google? No, DENSO. We have a power to make things true in the real world.”

Stay tuned to learn more about President Arima’s message, his vision for our future, and expectations for associates.

On January 9, more than 400 associates from around the world gathered in the Detroit area for DENSO’s first Global New Year Ceremony event. Check out highlights from the event below, and shout-out to all the people who helped make it a success.

Stay tuned throughout the month to learn more about President Arima’s message, his vision for our future, and expectations for associates.

Highlights

For the first time in DENSO’s history, President Koji Arima delivers the New Year Message to associates from North America.

Associates pack more than 500 toiletry bags for The Children’s Center, with the help of DENSO Cobotta robot.

Old friends and new: Associates of all levels, and from various regions around the world, strike a pose at the photo booth to commemorate their experience.   

Celebrating Brand Champions: The New Year Ceremony Project Team present special gifts to representatives from AFCO and DWAM, and to President Koji Arima, a WWE fanatic

More photos and videos coming soon!

Thank You Volunteers!

Great Job Project Team!

Every year, DENSO’s president shares a special New Year message to set the company direction, unite and inspire DENSO’s associates globally. This year was different.

For the first time in our company history, DENSO’s Global President Koji Arima gave his speech in a different region – North America. On January 9, more than 400 associates from DENSO locations around the world gathered in the metro Detroit area to hear his message in person. President Arima’s message was also live streamed to all of DENSO’s 170,000 associates across the globe.

In his speech, President Arima talked about DENSO’s second founding, the largest shift in business strategy in DENSO’s 70-year history, his vision for DENSO, and expectations for associates.

Missed the live stream?

Watch the full video of President Arima’s speech below. (approximate time: 30 minutes)

What did you think of President Arima’s message?

Share your comments below! What inspired you most, what questions do you have, what will you do differently in 2019.

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.

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 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.

DENSO announced its financial results for the first-half ending September 30, 2018 for fiscal year ending March 31, 2019:

Global Results

• Consolidated revenue: US$23.1 billion, a 11.1 percent increase from previous year
• Consolidated operating profit: US$1.3 billion, a 25.5 percent decrease from previous year

“DENSO’s revenue rose due to an increase in global vehicle production in spite of natural disasters. In addition, newly consolidated subsidiary, DENSO TEN, contributed to growth in revenue. Operating profit decreased due to transient profit in the last fiscal year, variance of periods in collecting expenses and increase in investment for future growth toward becoming a leading mobility supplier,” said Koji Arima, global president and CEO of DENSO Corporation.

North American Results

• Revenue: US$5.3 billion, a 10.2 percent increase from previous year
• Operating profit: US$136.5 million, a 25.5 percent decrease from previous year

In North America, sales expansion led to the increase in revenue. Operating profit decreased due to the increase in expenses for R&D and investments for expanding production capabilities.

Key Terms

• Revenue: This is our income; it’s all the money DENSO receives from business activities, like selling products to our customers.
• Operating Profit: The money DENSO makes after subtracting expenses from our revenue. Expenses are the costs to keep our business running, like office supplies, utilities, payroll and more.
• Consolidated: This describes the total, combined revenue or operating profit made my DENSO Global Headquarters, and its majority-owned group companies and affiliates.

Click here to view DENSO’s financial forecast and financial results for other regions.

As you likely heard, we recently announced DENSO’s second founding. What does this mean? It’s our largest shift in business strategy in our 70-year history to face the rapid changes in the automotive industry, the competition, ensure future success and achieve our 2030 goals. To learn more about DENSO’s vision and commitment to becoming the leading global mobility supplier, click here for the full news release.

With the news now public, DENSO’s North America President, Ken Ito, and Senior Vice President of Engineering Bill Foy spoke with leading industry news publication Automotive News about DENSO’s transformation. Ito said it’s important for the company to innovate with new technology, but also to enhance our current offerings.

“Our question is how we can transform our commodity products by adding value,” Ito told Automotive News. “For example, the air conditioner. As it is today, it could become a commodity. But in the future, instead, it could be combined with safety functions to add value, or combined with the functions of autonomous driving. We are focused on finding new value.”

The article also shares more details about DENSO’s renewed R&D and technology focus, which includes cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Still, Foy said even as DENSO moves into new fields, it will not abandon the many product areas that have been – and still are – critical for automakers.

It is this unique expertise and capability in legacy technologies and new ones that position us well for the future and will allow us to achieve our Long-Term Policy 2030. Everyone has an important role to play in our strategy shift and as we continue to shape the future of transportation – from car sharing, to automated driving and connecting cars and cities.

Read the Automotive News story here.

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!

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.

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:

• Kaizen based on standardized work
• Kaizen viewpoint throughout the plant
• Efficient line design and development
• Human resource development for Kaizen

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

Our core is our people. They bring special strengths and skills to the work bench every day. They drive our success.

Click on the video below to watch a video of Dana Paulson from DENSO Manufacturing Michigan talk about her experience as a machine technician and opportunities in manufacturing.

This month, we’re sharing stories , like Dana’s, with students across North America to inspire a new generation of manufacturing and engineering experts. By sharing these stories, and working with our industry partners, we want to address the skilled labor shortage our industry faces, connect with future generations, take charge of the public image of manufacturing, and ensure the ongoing prosperity of the whole industry.

What you can do
Help us celebrate our people and inspire students. Here’s how you can help:

• Check out DENSO Mobile App or DENSO Facebook weekly for videos featuring our associates
• Click on “share” to post these stories on your Facebook/social media sites, or email to a friend who might be interested in a career with DENSO
• Refer your family and friends to https://densocareers.com/ to view career opportunities

Picture this: you’re walking into a meeting, just you and your boss. You’re not entirely sure what the meeting topic is, so you’re a bit nervous. Normally, this meeting might be about G&Os, or a discussion on our engineering strategy for the customer. Or maybe some constructive criticism (Let’s face it, we all make mistakes – kaizen!)

Now imagine my surprise when my boss asks: “Would you be interested in writing a blog. At work. For DENSO.” Sounds great (and scary, knowing lots of people may be reading what I say…), but how exactly does something like this come about?

Well, in my group (ESED – Electrified Systems Engineering Department) we’re encouraged to take on a “Special Project”, every year. It’s a small part of our work lives, but it allows us to do something we’re passionate about, while at work. And furthermore, to incorporate this passion into daily DENSO life. In my case, my boss had some prior knowledge that I enjoy writing, and so his suggestion for my Special Project was to write a DENSO blog…and so it begins!

I know what you’re thinking. This is just an excuse to not have to do real work, while I’m at work. Exactly! OF COURSE  NOT!!

I have a lot to offer, in terms of sharing what an engineer does at DENSO, how to succeed and navigate the company. I want to share my experiences with others within our organization. This can serve a dual-function of building comradery with those who share similar experiences, while [hopefully] enlightening those who do not. I also want to talk about how to make DENSO a better place to work (Hint: Special Projects!) I also very much want to start a conversation about these topics. In fact, your participation is one of the main reasons I’m doing this, so please introduce yourself in the comment section!

If we’re going to be writing back and forth, I figure it behooves you to know a bit about me. My background in writing has always been more casual in nature. For example, I used to have a Livejournal… in a time when blogging was a relatively new concept and people wrote anything and everything, to anyone who’d read. The entire world rejoices in the fact that I cannot remember my user name. Who knows what early-20s me wanted to write about for the world to see!

Things didn’t stop there, however. Writing is a very consistent and important part of my life, today. I have multiple hand-written journals (for different purposes), and I love to type out my thoughts, as well. Some of my writings are very long-winded, and boring to everyone in the world (but myself), like who would win in a fight: Superman or Goku? (if you have a solid argument, let’s hear it in the comments below!). Others are just a few sentences of something I want to remember forever, like something my toddler did that day, or something I’m thankful for (p.s.: gratitude journals are powerful).

I very often feel like my brain is coming up with thoughts too fast for me to process them all. Part of why I like writing is because it is a way for me to slow my brain down to focus on more concrete ideas.

On a personal note, in my free time I like to play PC video games, when I’m not chasing around a toddler (my cardio). I also enjoy lifting weights and compete in US Strengthlifting. It’s very amateur stuff, but I enjoy it. Ask me about lifting barbells!  I’m married, and I have two daughters. I do consider myself to be a “family man”. Work-life balance is a priority for me; they’re my favorite people, and the reason I try my best at work.

Pictures and videos of my family are one of the ways I get through work on a bad day (or even a good day!) I know I’m not the only one; my group often shares personal pictures and stories with each other, while refilling our coffee together, in the morning (when we’re not quoting Ron Swanson, or referencing one of our many inside jokes, that is.)

This is the whole family! From left to right is Aeriana, myself, Lucy, and my wonderful wife Erin.

This is Tess. Of course, with a short name like that, her nicknames are longer than her actual name. I often call her “Tesla” or “Tesseract”. In this picture, she is “protecting” us from other neighborhood dogs, ready to bark at a moment’s notice.

Alright, so you’ve gotten to know me a bit. Your turn – Ask me a question or share something about yourself, below!

DENSO is committed to a culture where every associate’s diverse talents and strong passion enable us to contribute to a better world. What’s at your core? What are you passionate about? What drives and motivates you? We want to hear from you.

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—accomplishments that wouldn’t be possible without our people. Our people bring special strengths and skills to the work bench every day. They drive our success. We have some of the most innovative thinkers and creators, dedicated to making the world a better place.

This month, we’re sharing the stories of our DENSO associates with students across North America to inspire a new generation of manufacturing and engineering experts. By sharing these stories, and working with our industry partners, we want to address the skilled labor shortage our industry faces, connect with future generations, take charge of the public image of manufacturing, and ensure the ongoing prosperity of the whole industry.

Upcoming Events
We’re taking our associates’ stories on the road! Outside of our annual university career fairs, we’re participating in other events to help promote manufacturing engineering careers.

Manufacturing Day: Throughout the month, DENSO’s North America group companies are hosting tours, career fairs and discussions with high school and college students as part of National Manufacturing Day.

Society of Women Engineers: DENSO will have a display booth and virtual reality experience at the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Career Fair in Minneapolis, MN, Oct. 18-19.

What you can do
Help us celebrate our people and inspire students. Here’s how you can help:

• Check out DENSO Mobile App or DENSO Facebook weekly for videos featuring our associates
• Click on “share” to post these stories on your Facebook/social media sites, or email to a friend who might be interested in a career with DENSO
• Refer your family and friends to https://densocareers.com/ to view career opportunities

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.

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

Jack Helmboldt wears many hats. He is the president of DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee, overseeing our mobility systems and manufacturing businesses in North America, and sits on the board of DENSO International America and on the executive committee in Japan. But ask Jack about his most important role, and you might be surprised by his response. Recently, Jack traded his sports coat for steel-toed boots, so he could spend more time on the plant floor meeting and mentoring associates.

Why did you decide to spend more time in the plant than on a plane?

I was finding that my message about what we need to accomplish to be successful as a business, wasn’t making it to the floor. Or, by the time it did, it was jumbled. I’ve been talking to associates and asking them questions like, does your boss tell you what to do? Do they tell you why it’s important? Do they tell you how to accomplish it? Good leaders should give clear direction, but at the same time, we want our associates to take personal responsibility of what they want to do or try to do in their careers.

What’s the best way to advance your career?  

Understanding engagement and ownership. I tell my management team that they can ask for my help on anything and in any situation, and I will tell them exactly what I would do. No one should be afraid to ask questions. But, the best way to learn is by taking ownership and working out a problem by yourself. You and I can reach the same conclusion in two totally different ways.

How do you take ownership at such a large company like DENSO?  

Move away from what I call the “silo mentality.” We’re all in this together. If your line is working properly, but your colleague’s isn’t, that’s your problem too. We need to work across lines to ensure everything is running smoothly on a regular basis. Taking a step back to see the bigger picture opens the door to more opportunities.

What makes a good leader?

Be an innovator. This doesn’t mean you need to be creative. It means you act to make us better. You see and seek out opportunities for improvement. You learn from people, from other plants, or other countries and you add those skills to your toolbox, which is critical as the auto industry undergoes massive changes.

Be a motivator. People around you should see you as being honest, credible, confident and a good listener. Take the time to talk to people, develop trust, and share information that can help them be better.

Be a visionary. This isn’t a goal or objective; it’s envisioning an ideal situation for the business and the company. My vision is that everyone who works here is happy and wants their kids and grandkids to work here someday. It will take time, and I’m setting milestones to realize that vision.

Finally, be a good teacher. I’m proud to be the president of DMTN, but that’s not how I want to be remembered. I want people to remember me as a good mentor or coach who recognized and cultivated talent, gave them opportunities to succeed, and helped them establish good habits and modify bad ones.

Anything else to add?

Be appreciative of good work. If someone goes above and beyond, take the time to thank them. I have a stack of cards on my desk, and I’m constantly sending them out because I see our associates doing such great things.