Denso Indonesia creates total harmony in operations
Denso Indonesia creates total harmony in operations
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" has been embraced as the
comforting business maxim for companies stubbornly resistant to
change.
For PT Denso Indonesia Corp, maintaining an established
business system has been its recipe for success over the past 20
years, particularly in weathering initial start-up doldrums when
Indonesia's automotive industry was in its fledgling phase.
But adaptability has also been part and parcel of its
endurability. It may be a market leader in production of
automotive components today, but the company also acknowledges
the extraordinary requirements of a tumultuous business climate
far removed from that just a decade ago.
Today's world requires an updated corporate edict of "keeping
one step ahead of the pack", and Denso Indonesia is tailoring its
operations to these new demands, including by changing its name
from Nippondenso.
What's in a name change, especially for a respected company
with an established market niche?
For Denso Indonesia, it signals its commitment to become a
global player within the vast Denso network of 46 subsidiaries
and affiliates throughout the world.
"Nippondenso's use of Nippon carries a connotation of Japan,
with an inevitable association with a Japanese company with a
Japan market. Denso is more neutral as it does not carry any
identification with a specific country," said Vice President
Director Wiran Tandjungan.
"This is part of Denso's service strategy which is
internationally oriented," adds President Director Shinji
Takeuchi. "The basic meaning of Denso is electric equipment."
Carving out a place within the global market is in keeping
with Denso's corporate motto of Total Harmony, itself based on
the Zen philosophy of balancing human needs with those of nature.
This harmony is created among management, employees, the
environment and the surrounding community at its plant in
Cibitung, West Java.
Denso Indonesia focused on protecting the environment at the
start of its operations in 1978, long before government
regulations were instituted or environmental protection became a
corporate concern.
This commitment to preserving the environment is part of the
company's social obligation in developing its business, said
Takeuchi and Wiran.
On World Environment Day, 1985, Denso Indonesia was honored as
an environmentally concerned company. Its environmental
protection efforts continued in the 1990s, encompassing a
decision to reduce use of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) in its air-
conditioning (AC) units in 1993.
Two years later, Denso Indonesia ended all use of CFC in its
units "as a consequence of applying our motto of total harmony,"
said Marketing Director Bambang Wiyono.
This concern for the environment has been accompanied by an
emphasis on continually upgrading technology in the whole
manufacturing process of car and bus AC units, radiators, spark
plugs, ignition systems, starters, reserve tanks, washer tanks,
horns, air filters, fuel filters and AC compressors.
Founded on the strict standards of Quality, Cost, Delivery
laid down by the Denso Corporation, the firm strives for customer
satisfaction value in its operations.
"Denso products are not cheap, but their durability and
satisfactory performance for customers balances out the cost,"
Bambang said.
Denso is rigid in conforming to delivery deadlines, to prevent
any halt in the smooth vehicle production line. "Imagine the
losses incurred if a automaker had to halt production just to
wait for the delivery of AC units," Wiran said with a smile.
These established business fundamentals will continue as Denso
Indonesia prepares for the challenges of a global free market in
the next millennium, outlined in its corporate master plant for
the future, Denso Vision 2005.
The company's management is not cowed by the specter of
increased competition, what Wiran terms a "war", but relishes the
opportunities they provide. Today's (August 26) official ceremony
for commencement of operations on the Denso Indonesia's Research
and Technology Department underscores this commitment to a vision
for the future.
In its initial operations, the company will focus on quality
control. Eventually, it will incorporate substitution and
innovation technology by 2003.
They also know there is no room for complacency.
"A man at 20 is in adulthood, taking on greater
responsibilities as part of adulthood," said Takeuchi. "The same
is true for Denso Indonesia as it brings dynamic growth in this
age of no boundaries between countries. Denso Indonesia has
existed for 20 years, but there are still many matters to be
faced together."