Hideki Fujiwara appointed Yamaha Motor R&D India’s new chief

Yamaha has appointed Hideki Fujiwara as the new Managing Director of Yamaha Motor R&D India (YMRI), effective February 1, 2020. He replaces Yasuo Ishihara, who completes a five-year stint in India and returns to Japan.

Hideki Fujiwara began his professional journey with Yamaha Motor Co (YMC), Japan in 1989. In his 30 years at Yamaha, he has played a significant role in developing a strong R&D structure and driving Yamaha’s long-term growth strategy. His major accomplishments in Yamaha include Project Chief of Engine Design of YZF-R1 (2004, 2007 &2009) and Project Leader of YZF-R1(2015).

According to Yamaha, Fujiwara has made exemplary contributions in the designing of four-stroke stroke engine parts, new engine layout for production models like YZF-R1 in 2004, YZF-R1 in 2007 and YZF-R1 in 2009. The other key projects handled by him at YMC, Japan are the Cost Innovation Project (2009-2012) and Advanced Development of Engine and Vehicle Control (2014-2019).

Fujiwara has also played the role of a mentor as a part-time lecturer at Tokyo Institute of Technology (2015-2019) teaching Mechanical Systems Science. He has been a Lecturer of “Motorcycle Basics course” at the Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan Inc, as well.

His assignments with YMRI for the coming years will include concurrent engineering, cost innovation to value creation along with developing skills of local staff.

Hideki Fujiwara is a graduate in mechanical engineering from National Institute of Technology (KOSEN), Nara College, Japan. He is a passionate motorcyclist, loves collecting and playing guitar and is also part of a music band in Japan.

In February 2013, YMC set up Yamaha Motor Research and Development India (YMRI) at Surajpur in Uttar Pradesh to function as the second Integrated Development Center, following the establishment of the ASEAN Integrated Development Center in Thailand. After Italy, Taiwan, China, and Thailand, YMRI is the fifth overseas R&D headquarters for Yamaha Motor Group. The Integrated Development Center aims to contribute to India's operations by ‘change drawings’, tailoring reforms to design, maintenance and production standards, optimising them to fit the Indian market and provide low-cost models to customers while increasing Yamaha’s manufacturing competitiveness in the country.