THE FEDERAL Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) announced DENSO Australia Group as the winner of the prestigious 2007 Supplier of the Year award in recognition of its excellence as a first tier automotive component supplier.
The award, voted on by all of the local car companies, was assessed on product development, quality, timely delivery, competitive pricing, project management and customer service – aspects DENSO believes is vital in the success of its operations.
The DENSO Australia Group — comprising of DENSO International Australia (DIAU) and the manufacturing arm Australian Automotive Air (AAA); has spent the last few years restructuring its manufacturing and sales operations to one Victorian location.
Its 600 strong workforce locally manufactures engine cooling systems, air conditioning, air intake systems, fuel pump modules and instrument clusters as well as the sales of imported, and aftermarket products.
The company’s non-automotive aftermarket operations also develop industry leading technology in areas such as, bus air-conditioning, barcode scanners and robotics.
“Knowing the market and knowing the customers is very important. There are many areas where we can become innovative — especially in the environmental area,” Neil Kitamiya Managing Director of DIAU said.
The DENSO Corporation is an industry leader in the development of systems designed to reduce the environmental impact of motor vehicles and prides itself equally on the strong environmental focus of its manufacturing plants.
This award acknowledges the contribution made by all DENSO associates and the significant investment made by the DENSO Group in Australia.
In early 2006 DENSO opened a state of the art research and development facility to support the local industry.
Speaking from the presentation, Managing Director of AAA, Russell Pettis commented: “If you’re just providing a me-too product and not value-adding it will be difficult to survive in the future.
“The journey forward will be based on technology and we are quietly confident of a bright future”