DENSO Announces North American Organizational Changes to Strengthen R&D Strategy

-New structure helps mobility supplier expand into software-based solutions-

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Jan 24, 2019, 10:00 ET

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Jan. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- To achieve its long-term vision to craft the core technologies for the future of mobility, DENSO, the world's second largest mobility supplier, has shifted its company direction to expand into software-based solutions, in addition to its hardware expertise, and develop advanced technologies to guide the future of mobility. To that end, DENSO has realigned its organizational structure in North America to accelerate and strengthen business execution, research and development (R&D), collaboration, and other efficiencies.

Today, DENSO announced specific organizational changes for its North American regional headquarters (DIAM) that will help the company achieve success and provide value to customers, consumers, partners, employees, and all other stakeholders:

Connected Services Department. This newly created department in North America, led by senior vice president Norihito Tanahashi, will advance DENSO's focus on automated and connected driving. The business will collaborate with Mobility Systems Business Group and DENSO TEN to combine the strengths and expertise of the companies.
North American Production & Innovation Center Division's New R&D Department.
DENSO is broadening its production R&D capabilities outside of Japan to expedite innovation for advanced production systems. John Baciak is the director of the R&D Department at DENSO's Southfield, Mich. (DIAM) location.
Product Group, Engineering Division. DENSO has changed, combined and/or consolidated several departments to strengthen its core engineering services:

Comfort R&D led by Rob Brinker, director
Energy Efficiency R&D led by Sergio Pujols, director
Thermal Planning, Program Management Office led by Tim Roland, director

Last month, DENSO's global headquarters announced changes to the global organization and executive responsibility that will further strengthen its solutions in automated and connected driving, create new thermal and powertrain systems and products, and promote professional development and information security within DENSO.

"Throughout DENSO's 70 years, we've worked hard to reinvent our solutions and maintain a leadership role in the auto industry. We've learned that a big part of innovation is change," said Kenichiro Ito, CEO of DENSO International America, Inc. "Our industry is undergoing drastic change. This is a critical time for our customers, and to remain competitive and ensure our success as we enter a future of electrification and automated driving, we must be focused on finding new value. We will continue to evaluate our organizational structure, our executive roles, and locations for R&D labs that will allow us to quickly and efficiently reshape the future of mobility."

As part of its advanced R&D strategy, DENSO recently announced the opening of its Montréal Innovation Lab in Canada, which will focus on innovations in advanced technology like artificial intelligence (AI). DENSO continues to invest in its North American operations to best serve its customers. It selects cities to establish its satellite R&D labs based on strong talent pools, emerging tech scenes and proximity to universities and consortiums.

About DENSO
DENSO is a $48.1 billion global mobility supplier that develops advanced technology and components for nearly every vehicle make and model on the road today. With manufacturing at its core, DENSO invests in its 220 facilities in 35 countries to produce thermal, powertrain, mobility, electrification, & electronic systems, to create jobs that directly change how the world moves. The company's 170,000+ employees are paving the way to a mobility future that improves lives, eliminates traffic accidents, and preserves the environment. Globally headquartered in Kariya, Japan, DENSO spent 8.8 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018. For more information about global DENSO, visit https://www.denso.com/global.

In North America, DENSO employs 24,000+ engineers, researchers and skilled workers across 31 sites in the U.S, Canada and Mexico. In the United States alone, DENSO employs 17,000+ employees across 12 states and 25 sites. Headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, in fiscal year ending March 31, 2018, DENSO in North America generated $10.9 billion in consolidated sales. Join us, and craft not only how the world moves, but also your career. For more information, go to https://www.denso.com/us-ca/en/.

SOURCE DENSO