DENSO to Expand Its Battle Creek, Mich. Manufacturing Facility

May Add Up to 300 New Jobs within Next Two Years

BATTLE CREEK, Mich., June 17 -- DENSO Manufacturing Michigan, Inc. today announced that it will build a $9-million expansion at its facility in Battle Creek's Ft. Custer Industrial Park. The 92,000-square-foot expansion at the north end of the plant will provide space for a new aluminum radiator line and a new aluminum heater core line.

Within the next two years, the company may add up to 300 new jobs, said Akio Shikamura, president of DENSO Manufacturing Michigan.

With the new addition, plant space will total 1,070,000 square feet. The last expansion at DENSO Manufacturing Michigan was in 1993 when a 91,000- square-foot expansion, also accommodating aluminum product lines, was built.

"From the first day here in 1986, DENSO has been committed to customer satisfaction," Shikamura said. "This commitment, the hard work of our associates and the support of the community have been key to our growth and success."

"We have undergone steady growth in the last few years, making this expansion a necessity," said Dave Everhart, senior vice president of Operations. "We are pleased that we have proven ourselves to be a strong company able to meet our customers' demands with exceptionally high quality parts and service."

DENSO Corporation, headquartered in Kariya, Aichi prefecture, Japan is a leading global supplier of advanced technology, systems and components. Worldwide, the company employs 90,000 people in 31 countries and regions, including Japan. Consolidated global sales for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2003, totaled US$19.4 billion (2,332.8 billion yen or 17.9 billion euros).

In the Americas (North, Central and South America), DENSO employs 14,000 people at 25 locations with consolidated sales for the above fiscal year totaling US$4.5 billion. DENSO International America, Inc. in Southfield, Mich., is DENSO's North American headquarters.

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