1. The Second Founding

To navigate and thrive in this once-in-a-century transformation period and to achieve further growth, DENSO formulated the 2030 Long-Term Policy and the 2025 Long-Term Vision. To realize these goals, Transformation should be so bold that it would be akin to creating a new company was necessary.

President Arima emphasized that what is needed now is for each employee to embody the “DENSO Culture” as the core of their work. During the company's founding period, DENSO faced a severe management crisis that led to speculation about its potential collapse. However, the efforts and struggles of the predecessors helped the company overcome this crisis and subsequently achieve significant global growth. The core of their efforts was the “DENSO Culture.” It was the collaboration of this spirit that propelled the company's progress.

President Arima did not define the “DENSO Culture” as an official company mandate but instead encouraged each employee to think about it personally. He urged employees to reflect on their own experiences and those of their workplace in times of difficulty, to recall the “DENSO Culture” that was manifested, and to apply it in their current work while passing it on to the next generation of employees.

In 2018, President Arima consistently encouraged employees to contemplate the “DENSO Culture” in various addresses and policy meetings. Sometimes he shared his own interpretation of the “DENSO Culture,” and other times he recounted stories of how it had been demonstrated by the company in the past, continually inspiring the employees.

To help employees connect with the core essence of DENSO, President Arima opened the “DENSO Heritage Center” within the headquarters in December 2021. This space serves as a place where employees can return to the company's foundational principles whenever they are in doubt.

Visitors can see exhibits from the founding period and hear stories related to the company's “Creed,” “Quality,” and “Safety” from guides. This experience allows employees to touch upon the values and commitments that have been integral to DENSO since its inception, helping them rediscover the “DENSO Culture” within themselves.

In 2021, DENSO launched a global project called the “Carry on DENSO Culture” initiative.” The importance of the “DENSO Culture” is not confined to Japan; it is equally significant overseas. Since the company's international expansion, local employees and dispatched staff from Japan have together cultivated and demonstrated their unique versions of the “DENSO Culture.” The initiative aims to unearth these unique spirits, apply them to current work, and pass them on to the next generation of employees.

In major regions overseas, the diversification of employees, particularly in terms of values and perspectives, has become increasingly prominent. In this context, the “DENSO Culture” is expected to serve as a new unifying force that can harness the diversity of employees into collective energy and strength as a team. Local employees have begun to lead initiatives that reflect their unique regional characteristics, fostering a sense of unity and shared purpose across the global DENSO community.