To support future growth and strengthen its product line-up for North American customers, DENSO has invested approximately $53.6 million and added 100 new jobs at its DENSO Manufacturing Michigan, Inc. (DMMI) facility in Battle Creek, Michigan. The investment allows DENSO to develop new manufacturing lines for advanced thermal systems, add additional labs for new product testing and validation, and expand logistics and packaging operations. The investment began in late 2014 and will continue throughout 2015.
"DENSO's Battle Creek facility is the hub for all of our thermal production in North America," said Shingo Kuwamura, president of DMMI and CEO of DENSO Thermal Systems North American Center. "This investment allows us to expand our 'next generation' manufacturing and testing capabilities, while also creating space to lead our training and leadership programs as we develop our employee's 'next generation' job skills."
Expansion of Logistics and Validation Testing in Battle Creek, Michigan:
DENSO purchased two buildings in the Fort Custer Industrial Park, which increases DMMI's footprint to include over 1.3 million square feet of space for manufacturing, warehousing, product testing, and other support functions. One building will support with warehousing parts and packaging, as well as shipping and receiving for some customers. The other building will be dedicated to new product testing, engineering process changes and other product reliability testing for its Battle Creek, Arkansas, Canada and Mexicothermal plant locations.
The DMMI announcement is part of DENSO's expansion plans, which were announced in January 2013, to invest nearly $1 billion in North America – more than $750 million in the United States – to strengthen and expand its product development and manufacturing capabilities across the region.
About DENSO
DENSO Corporation, 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 inCalifornia, 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.
Connect with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/DENSOinNorthAmerica