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."