3. Partnership with Bosch
1949-
(2) Negotiating the Partnership
- 1953
- With the assistance of supportive intermediaries, our management team swiftly took action to realize the partnership. In 1953, a technical collaboration with Robert Bosch GmbH was successfully established.
In the autumn of 1951, Dr. Tokushichi Mishima made an unexpected visit to our Tokyo office. Dr. Mishima was globally renowned for inventing “MK Magnetic Alloy (Magneto Steel),” a patent he had granted to Robert Bosch GmbH. He was also serving as a research advisor to Toyota Motor Corporation. During his visit, Dr. Mishima requested our company's materials, stating:
“Mr. Zehender, the executive in charge of overseas operations at Robert Bosch GmbH, is currently in Japan seeking a technical collaboration partner. Having heard about your company from Kiichiro Toyoda, I would like to introduce Nippondenso to Bosch.”
In December 1952, a Bosch delegation led by Mr. Gundel, who was responsible for production technology, visited our company. They were impressed by our well-equipped machinery and the fact that we had established sales channels with Toyota Motor Corporation and other domestic companies. This visit left a significant impression on Mr. Gundel. He remarked:
“I will return to West Germany on December 17. If you wish to pursue a partnership, please come to Tokyo by the 16th.”
In response, we immediately convened a board meeting and decided to accept the offer. We communicated our decision to Mr. Gundel, prompting Robert Bosch GmbH to begin negotiations for a technical partnership with our company.
On May 21, 1953, our company and Robert Bosch GmbH signed a preliminary agreement for technical collaboration. Subsequently, our President Torao Hayashi, Deputy General Manager of Manufacturing Katsuo Aoki, Administrative Director Tatsuo Iwatsuki, and Technical Director Takeaki Shirai visited Bosch's headquarters in succession to finalize the contract terms.
Finally, on November 13, the formal agreement for the technical partnership was signed.
- Deep DiveKey Factors Behind the Successful Technical Collaboration
- The successful realization of this technical partnership, precisely at the optimal timing our company hoped for, can be attributed to the gracious mediation by Dr. Tokushichi Mishima and others, as well as the swift and decisive actions taken by our management team at the time.
Even though there was no formal decision yet, our management had been actively researching and considering a partnership with Bosch for quite some time. This groundwork meant that we were prepared to act as soon as the opportunity arose.
The management's ability to make quick and bold decisions played a crucial role. When the opportunity presented itself, the company was ready to take immediate and concrete steps to advance the negotiations.
During the negotiations, our representatives could clearly and specifically articulate the desired content and conditions of the partnership, as well as our acceptance or rejection of various terms. This clarity and decisiveness likely helped facilitate a smoother and more efficient negotiation process.