DENSO Manufacturing Athens Tennessee Grabs Hold of Star Safety Award for Third Time

-- Highest Honor for Workplace Safety --

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Jan 28, 2015, 04:00 ET

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Jan. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam presented DENSO Manufacturing Athens Tennessee with the state's highest honor for workplace safety and health, the Volunteer STAR (Safety Through Accountability and Recognition) award at a news conference today at DENSO's Athens, Tennessee facility.

"On behalf of our employees, I'm very proud to accept this award today," said Ike Yamashita, president of DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee. "At DENSO, our policy is Safety and Quality First, and this award recognizes our excellent workforce and continuous commitment to safety."

The Volunteer STAR is a nationally recognized program patterned after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) and recognizes the best of the best in the area of safety and health programming and performance. There are currently 40 Volunteer STAR sites in Tennessee.

DMAT has approximately 1,450 employees in manufacturing of automotive components, such as oxygen sensors, spark plugs, ignition coils, monolithic carriers, fuel injectors, air flow meters and fuel rails for the automotive industry. This is the site's third time to receive the Volunteer STAR award.

About the Volunteer STAR Program and the VPP
The standard for participation in the STAR program is the confirmation of a company's safety and health program, which helps reduce accidents and injuries. The program also allows employers to be removed from programmed compliance inspection lists for a period of three years. The VPP is designed to recognize and promote effective safety and health management. In the VPP, management, labor and Tennessee OSHA establish a cooperative relationship at a workplace that has implemented a strong program.

For more information on the Volunteer STAR award program, the VPP and other award programs, please visit the Department of Labor and Workforce Development website.

About DENSO
DENSO Corp., headquartered in Kariya, Aichi prefecture, Japan, is a leading global automotive supplier of advanced technology, systems and components in the areas of thermal, powertrain control, electronics and information and safety. Its customers include all the world's major carmakers. Worldwide, the company has more than 200 subsidiaries and affiliates in 38 countries and regions and employs nearly 140,000 people. Consolidated global sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014, totaled US$39.8 billion. Last fiscal year, DENSO spent 9 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development. DENSO common stock is traded on the Tokyo and Nagoya stock exchanges.

About DENSO in North America
Currently in North America, DENSO employs more than 17,000 people at 32 consolidated companies and affiliates. Of these, 28 are manufacturing facilities located in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. In the U.S. alone, DENSO employs more than 14,000 people in California, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Iowa, Ohio, Alabama and Arkansas. DENSO's North American consolidated sales totaled US$7.9 billion for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014.