DENSO’s First Starring Role – DPAM Launches in Los Angeles
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In March 1971, at the request of Toyota Motor Sales to locally supply car air conditioners to Toyota in the United States, the Los Angeles location officially commenced operations on April 1, 1971. Pictured is the office team, circa early 1980s.
While Detroit was the beating heart of the automotive industry in the 1960s, Southern California was the epicenter of American car culture. In garages, backyards and the wide boulevards of Los Angeles, auto enthusiasts were “souping up” Fords, Chevys and Chryslers and cruising town in hotrods and lowriders.
Ever the early adopters, California residents were among initial purchasers of foreign-made autos with Toyota’s Corolla, designed specifically for the American market, proving to be especially popular there.
The time was ripe then to execute DENSO’s strategy for expanding into the U.S. by first promoting AC aftermarket sales, then supplying car manufacturers with key DENSO components and later establishing regional production capabilities.
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After leasing offices and warehouses since its inception in 1971, DENSO Products and Services Americas (DPAM) held a grand opening ceremony for their new building in Long Beach, California on October 25, 1984. DENSO President (at the time) Kengo Toda is in the center.
First Steps in America
The earliest step in DENSO’s expansion was in 1971 with the launch of Nippondenso of Los Angeles, Inc. (now DENSO Products and Services Americas, Inc.). With just 12 associates in Hawthorne, California, DPAM would grow into an aftermarket and mobility solutions powerhouse, employing some 450 proud DENSO associates today.
“That move started our impressive growth in North America,” said Fran Labun, who joined DPAM in 1982 and most recently retired as the company’s Vice President. “And when DENSO started supplying automakers other than Toyota, we gained a level of esteem, and the industry took notice.”
Initially, DPAM focused on aftermarket air conditioner (AC) sales for cars manufactured in Japan. As demand grew, DPAM added AC kits to its offering and began making plans to supply a variety of replacement parts, which started with spark plugs and tune-up kits.
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DENSO Robotics was developing a range of state-of-the-art controllers, software and industrial robots that would forever change the face of automation. By 1970, manufacturing and implementation of their first aluminum die-casting robot was well under way. The North America DENSO Robotics team first started selling robots in March 1998 to market DENSO’s innovate automation technology to a variety of customers.
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In January 2001, DENSO launched a test market for the First Time Fit brand. First Time Fit products have the lowest return rate in the industry. That’s because DENSO aftermarket products are built to original equipment standards and incorporate the latest technology advances. Pictured (left to right) are: Left to right: Nick Saeki, Manny Bones, Masako Toyoda, JJ. Webb, Geoffrey Wilsey, David Jack, Jun Corpuz, Bruce Hara, Tina Haas, Frank Cisek, Bo Bojorquez, Peter Klotz, Seth Avergon, Eric Zarate, Jeff Rogers, Steve Fett and Gilbert Ramirez. Not pictured: Ken Jackson, Diane Kenny and Lisa Harris.
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The MovinCool Office Pro 36 was introduced at the 2005 Air Conditioning Heating and Refrigerating Exposition. In the 1970s, recognizing an opportunity to make associates working conditions better, DENSO engineers created a portable air-conditioning unit that could be moved around the factory floor and help keep workers cool during hot days.
A Suite of Brands
In 1983, as DENSO’s business in the auto aftermarket escalated, DPAM moved to its current location in Long Beach, California. Spread across nearly 10 acres, the company was now poised to begin launching a variety of high-quality brands while expanding its engineering and manufacturing capabilities.
First up in 1982 was MovinCool. A pioneer in the portable cooling industry, DENSO had originally developed MovinCool for its production workers in Japan. Next, DPAM leveraged the company’s manufacturing innovation and know-how with DENSO Robotics in 1999. Customers in electronics, pharmaceutical, biomedical devices, the aerospace industry and more, took note and were soon equipping their facilities with these “smart” machines.
In 2001, with the goal of providing their independent repair customers with quality parts that fit the first time and every time, DPAM launched the First Time Fit® brand. Promising reliability and, at minimum, compliance with OE specifications, First Time Fit products filled a critical and unmet market need.
Later, in 2009 and under the DENSO ADC brand name, DPAM supplied DENSO-developed QR code technology products, scanners, terminals and software to a variety of customers across nearly every industry.
More recently, DPAM launched its PowerEdge brand to compliment DENSO’s heavy-duty product lineup. Competitively priced and featuring DENSO quality, reliability and performance, PowerEdge features best-in-class sales and service support.
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Last year on August 5, 2024, a team of associates continued the tradition of volunteering to support the Long Beach Clean Up. Since the beginning, DPAM associates have long, rich history of giving back to the community.
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A special proclamation was presented by City of Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia to recognize and congratulate DENSO Products and Services Americas on their 50th anniversary.
DENSO Vision
With true DENSO vision, company managers were tracking three trends in the international auto market in the mid-20th century – the growing appeal of compact cars, increased demand for air-conditioned vehicles and consistent growth in the vehicle options category – and when the time was right, DENSO seized the moment and leveraged all three developments.
With the decision to send that first team to the U.S., DENSO’s initial steps into North American waters sent ripples across its global business aspirations, which today serves as a key DENSO milestone.