Denso Products and Services Americas (DPAM), an affiliate of global automotive supplier Denso Corp., have started a year of commemorative activities to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary in America. One of the largest private employers in Long Beach, the aftermarket automotive parts and mobility solutions company has been honored with a formal proclamation signed by Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia.
Denso will mark the anniversary with various employee celebrations across its administrative, sales, manufacturing and distribution centers throughout North America. Group events will be coordinated as COVID-19 restrictions ease.
"We are celebrating all DPAM associates whose dedication to excellence, innovation, service to our community and customers over five decades has made us the aftermarket leader we are today," said DPAM president Hirokatsu Yamashita. "We proudly carry this tradition into the future as we commemorate 50 years of DPAM’s growth and success in America."
DPAM’s history in America dates back to March 1, 1971, when the company incorporated as Nippondenso. Launched in response to the growth of the Japanese car market in the U.S., the company started out in an office in Hawthorne, California, with a dozen employees. Initially, DPAM promoted the sale of air conditioners as an option for vehicles built in Japan. Demand for the units was so high that within a year the company added manufacturing A/C kits for Toyota to its US operations.
DPAM later expanded its inventory to offer replacement parts, such as spark plugs. As business grew, DPAM moved to its current 9.7-acre campus in Long Beach in 1982. The company also launched MovinCool, dedicated to sales of Denso’s portable commercial air conditioning units. In 1999, DPAM launched Denso Robotics to market high-performance industrial robots. Today, Denso supplies advanced robotic technology for electronics, pharmaceuticals, biomedical devices, food processing, aerospace and technology companies.
In 2001, DPAM launched its aftermarket brand Denso First Time Fit in the U.S. Denso’s aftermarket automotive product lines for cars and trucks now include alternators and starters; condensers and radiators; direct ignition coils; engine management sensors; evaporators; air, cabin and oil filters; fuel pumps; ignition wire sets; oxygen and air/fuel sensors; relays; tire pressure monitoring system sensors and wiper blades.
In 2009, DPAM added its Automatic Data Capture (ADC), the Americas’ sales arm of Denso Wave, inventor of the Secure QR Code.
DPAM currently employs about 550 people in three countries. In addition to its Long Beach headquarters, DPAM has manufacturing operations in Murrieta, California; regional sales offices in Plano, Texas, and West Chester, Ohio; warehouses in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and Jeffersonville, Indiana and a technology center in Jermyn, Pennsylvania. In Mexico and Canada, DPAM has sales and distribution staff to service customers in those countries.
