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Denso International India is developing automotive solutions with sustenance and societal responsibility at the core of its strategy. Ashish Bhatia cites the mix of AI and software led MaaS capabilities disposal.

Denso International India Pvt. Ltd. is committed to the green and sustainable development of advanced automotive technologies. At the Auto Expo 2023 - The Components Show, the company showcased a wide range of solutions. It gave a sense of the strides made in electrification and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, for instance. The company has Joint Venture (JV) tier1 entities like Subros Ltd., Denso Ten Mindia Pvt. Ltd. (TNMI) and TDS LithiumIon Battery Gujarat Pvt. Ltd. (TDSC) which holds it in good stead. It also showcased a cold chain solution - MRF Mobile

Refrigerator to tap into logistics trends and needs. The cold chain product addresses the need for alternative solutions as a result of growing ecommerce, overcoming restrictions on large vehicles and addressing the growing demand for cold chains.

The company plans to counter these developments with the facilitation of small and diversified packages, smaller vehicles for the gig economy and enhancing cold chain for medical products. The capabilities include offering different temperatures in the same vehicle. The company claims it can be do so without carrying out any modification. The value add for businesses is claimed to be offered with an easy installation process. The reefer box is offered in capacities ranging from 40 litres to 110 litres. The added benefits include data traceability through cloud integration and temperature control and monitoring facilitated on a smartphone.

Under the ‘Global Safety Package 3’, the company showcased a ‘millimetre-wave radar’. The radar senses the position and speed of vehicles and objects on the road. It also brings in a ‘vision sensor’ that detects the forward environment of the vehicle using a camera. Claimed to enhance the safety performance of the vehicle and the drive ability of the pilot itself as a formidable combination. The company has developed the third generation of GSP. It is claimed to play a significant role in the event of an intersection collision of a car, pedestrian or cycle before turning, assist in deceleration of a curve and cautions on a red traffic signal. The radar detection is claimed to be 156m or more with an angle of 51.6 degrees. The company has also enhanced velocity resolution besides succeeding at reducing components to less than half in comparison to conventional products. The company can down size by ~40 per cent and also has improved its mounting capability.

In November 2022, Denso International India Pvt. Ltd. (Denso India) signed an Rs.400 crore sustainability loan from Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC). The two entities back then committed to a bound, sustainabilitylinked loan to meet the working capital requirements of three Indian Denso Corporation subsidiaries linked to achieving voluntary and predetermined sustainability performance objectives. Aimed at contributing to India’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the company had announced that the move was a step in the direction to secure necessary financial resources to facilitate and support environmentally and socially sustainable economic activity and growth. The company is committed to net zero carbon emissions with a long-term goal to achieve carbon neutrality without the use of carbon credits by 2035. By 2025, the company aims to attain carbon neutrality with carbon credits in the manufacturing operations of three of its Indian subsidiaries. The focus will be on using renewable energy to run the factories and deploy energy conservation measures. According to a statement by Yasuaki Matsunaga, Chairman and Managing Director, of Denso India, the company is leading the industry toward realising an environmentally neutral manufacturing industry, thereby creating a sustainable society.

Committed to contributing even when the business environment is uncertain, notably, the SMBC loan, India’s first ESG loan will have the latter monitor the progress through achievements on pre-agreed milestones of sustainability set by Denso. If the targets are achieved, there is an incentive too. The margins could be reduced (lower interest rate). The company going forward is also looking at diversification into offering increased fuel efficiency of ICE to EVs, HCVs, and FCVs. The company will also develop systems for collecting and reusing CO2, in the atmosphere. to cover emissions from mobility products.