November 6, 2012: Denso International India (DIIN), a subsidiary of Denso Corporation, has opened its Indian technical centre in Gurgaon. The facility has been set up with a total investment of Rs 150 crore and currently employs 52 people.
“We regard India as an important market and aim to expand our business in the country. With this technical centre, we are promoting product development to better meet Indian customer needs,” said Yasushi Yamanaka, executive director responsible for Denso’s Engineering Research & Development Center. “To further strengthen development capabilities, we plan to double the number of employees for the technical centre by FY2015.”
The new technical center, which is spread over 5,040 square metres, has a variety of testing and evaluation equipment including an engine bench and a chassis dynamometer that can test a vehicle at temperatures ranging from -30 to +50deg Celsius. The centre, which started operations in March 2012, develops a wide range of products for Denso customers in India, such as powertrains, electric and electronic components, information and safety systems, as well as small motors and motorcycle components. In addition, it creates advanced software to support Denso’s product development in other operating regions.
Denso has been in India for almost three decades since 1984. Today, it has six subsidiaries with more than 2,400 employees in: four production companies, DIIN, and Denso Subros Thermal Engineering Centre India (DSEC), which designs car air- conditioning systems and other automotive thermal devices.
Denso Corporation, headquartered in Kariya, Japan, is a leading global automotive supplier of advanced technology, systems and components in the areas of thermal, powertrain control, electric, 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 35 countries and regions (including Japan) and employs approximately 120,000 people.
Consolidated global sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012, totaled US$38.4 billion (Rs 206,592 crore). Last fiscal, the company spent 9.5 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development.
INTERVIEW WITH TAKAO NOJIRI, DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR, DENSO INTERNATIONAL INDIA
What are your plans for product development at the India tech centre?
Our technical centre in India is responsible for the development of automotive components and systems. This includes the development of powertrain, both petrol and diesel, electronics, airbags, engine electricals, small motor for power windows and wipers and two-wheeler components. For thermal products, Denso Subros Thermal Engineering Centre is responsible for developments.
What product developments have been undertaken since March?
We have been undertaking powertrain product evelopments.
How important is India in Denso’s overall plans?
As with the improvement in infrastructure and deregulatory measures, we expect a high growth in the Indian market. As one of Denso’s global R&D hubs, we will accelerate product development, especially in the field of software development.
SHOBHA MATHUR