Denso looks far into the future

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- Forecasters tell us how next year will unfold, and big thinkers might look into the coming decade.But Denso’s strategists have peered into the year 2050 -- and now they intend to remake the company accordingly.What Denso sees in its crystal ball is a future that is safer, cleaner, more energy efficient and -- most daunting of all -- has fewer cars in it.“We think a world with few vehicles in it can be a good world,” Denise Carlson, vice president of Denso’s North American Production Innovation Center in Southfield, Mich., told Automotive News. She spoke Tuesday at the CAR Management Briefing Seminars. “The world will have new modes of transportation and new consumer needs, and we intend to transform ourselves to play a key role in it, just as we do today.”In advance of the changing world, Denso -- No. 4 on the Automotive News list of the 100 top global suppliers -- plans to reposition itself by playing an automotive service role, with businesses in diagnostics and predictive maintenance, Carlson told the audience.“This business model can help us achieve an accident-free and environmentally friendly society that’s better for the planet,” she said.“We’re forecasting a decline in 2030 that will likely not recover for vehicle sales,” she said.Denso, with consolidated revenue of $40.4 billion in the fiscal year that ended March 31, considered what cities might look like in 2050 and how societies will consume energy. It predicted that people will have priorities that differ from driving and vehicle ownership.Already, Denso is preparing for change, based on the emerging technologies of 2017.“We are looking for new skill sets to help us move deeper into the areas of vehicle safety and energy,” Carlson said.The company separately announced this week that it will invest $75.5 million in its U.S. r&d operations, with a plan to recruit more talent into mobility services. The parent company in Japan last week said its net income for the quarter ending June 30 rose 66 percent to $683 million.

Denso looks far into the future

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