7. Wuxi DENSO Hanshin Automotive Products Co., Ltd. established
1. Wuxi DENSO Hanshin Automotive Products Co., Ltd. established
With the expansion of the Chinese automobile market, customers (car manufacturers) requested that ignition coils be produced locally in China. DENSO thought about this with a positive attitude, eventually deciding to start local production. At the time, only stick ignition coils were being produced, but other types of ignition coils were needed in order to meet customer needs, and so DENSO opted for joint production with Hanshin Electric (Currently, Hitachi Astemo Hanshin, Ltd.). After extensive discussions, the two parties decided to sign a contract and establish a joint venture in Wuxi. Known as the “Pearl of Taihu Lake,” Wuxi is a key point in the waterway transportation network of Jiangnan. The rivers in this area crisscross each other, and so transportation between north and south had been extremely convenient. Previously, DENSO had invested in plant construction in the Tianjin and Guangzhou areas, but this investment in East China was a completely new and different development. In March 2005, Wuxi DENSO Hanshin Automotive Products Co., Ltd. (hereinafter, “Wuxi DENSO”) was officially established. On July 11, 2007, the opening ceremony of Wuxi DENSO’s Plant No. 1 was held, and many senior government officials attended. (Among them, Mayor Gong of Wuxi New Area, Deputy Secretary Hong of the New Area Management Committee, and other government officials provided great support.) Then, Wuxi DENSO’s mass production of ignition coils officially began.
In January 2013, in order to evolve into a complex production site, Wuxi DENSO Hanshin Automotive Products Co., Ltd. was solely capitalized and renamed Wuxi DENSO Automotive Products Co., Ltd. (DMWX). Since then, as the DENSO China Group’s complex production company in the East China region, it has gradually introduced a number of new products, including sensors, spark plugs, and so on. In order to meet customer demand in the East China region, the company also decided to accept the production of car air conditioner products, officially starting production in 2016, with an expected annual production of approximately 520,000 units. Furthermore, as the size of the plant building at that time was insufficient to meet the requirements for developing new products, friendly discussions were held with the Wuxi New Area Government regarding a land purchase (for construction of a new plant) and capital increase, and a contract signing ceremony was held on December 13, 2013. The ceremony was attended by Wuxi New Area Secretary Xu Gang and Vice Secretary Hong Yanwei, DICH President Noboru Yamada, DENSO (Tianjin) Thermal Products (DMTT) President Shirane, and DMWX President Ikedo.
On August 6, 2014, the groundbreaking ceremony for Plant No. 2 was held, with many senior government officials and DENSO executives in attendance. New products related to the air conditioner and engine businesses were launched, providing DMWX with opportunities to grow exponentially in the future.
2. 10th anniversary of Wuxi DENSO Automotive Products Co., Ltd.
On June 30, 2016, DMWX held its 10th anniversary ceremony on the theme of “A decade of wind and rain, a glimmer of light signals spring and fall.” A number of senior executives from DENSO’s head office in Japan, including Senior Executive Director Michio Adachi and Head of Business Unit Kurokawa, participated in the celebration along with DICH President Murakami and others.
At 9:18 a.m., the ceremony officially began. President Ikedo of DMWX, Senior Executive Director Adachi of the Japanese Head Office, and President Murakami of DICH each gave a speech, reflecting on the major changes in Wuxi City and DMWX over the last 10 years and outlining DMWX’s future prospects in the new economic environment. They also extended their deep gratitude to all employees and expressed their expectations of everyone’s work going forward. After the speeches, the guests and company executives poured sake into a commemorative objet d’art to celebrate the 10th anniversary, and planted a camphor tree, Wuxi City’s tree symbolizing “vigorous life,” in the factory grounds.
At the celebratory thank-you party later, employees from all of the company’s departments presented a program of diverse performances. The party mood was enlivened by such performances as the play “Hua Mulan,” the duet song “Wind-blown Summer,” the fan dance “Blue Porcelain,” and the solo song “Haorizi (Auspicious Day).” After a commemorative photo was taken, the party came to an end, but DMWX’s progress has never stopped. The employees’ spirit of hard work will never end, either. They will continue to work hard and build great success on the road to progress.