Site Nippondenso Kota Plant - World Technology Evaluation 现场电装亚植物世界技术评估.docVIP

Site: Nippondenso Kota Plant Nippondenso Co., Ltd. 1-1 Shawa-cho, Kariya-shi Aichi-ken 448, Japan Date Visited: October 7, 1993 Report Author: N. Naclerio ATTENDEES JTEC: M. Kelly N. Naclerio J. Peeples HOSTS: Mizutani Shuji Director, Automotive Electronics Division Shigehiko Ito General Manager, Electronics Manufacturing Dept. Mark R. Hunter Public Affairs Department BACKGROUND Nippondenso is a leading manufacturer of automotive components and electronic systems. In 1992, Nippondenso had sales revenues of about $12 billion. Approximately 9% of sales was invested in capital and another 7.3% in RD. About 56,718 people were employed by Nippondenso in 1992. (The above figures are based on consolidated 1992 data.) Some of the themes that drive Nippondensos business strategy are high performance, safety, and fuel efficiency. In-house research ranges from semiconductors to micromachines to materials, and from AI to telecommunications to control theory. Fuzzy logic systems have been developed and are in use for anti-lock braking systems (ABS), cruise control, and suspension systems. Nippondenso uses its micromachine technology to manufacture accelerometers and other sensors for automotive applications. As a demonstration of its micromachine prowess, it built a miniature car, barely 5 mm long, complete with electric motor. Nippondenso plans to fuse automobile technology with state-of-the-art electronics to generate new products in many fields. Examples of nonautomotive products we saw included portable cellular phones, hand-held bar code scanners, and factory automation systems. Nippondenso manufactures components and systems for nearly every automobile manufacturer in the world. While Toyota is its largest shareholder and customer, it also sells components to most of the other Japanese auto makers, the Big Three U.S. companies, and most European companies. Nippondenso claims to be a leader in 14 product areas including electroni