Steps Forward for Delphi Furukawa

Delphi Furukawa Wiring Systems LLC opened a new customer service centre in Ann Arbor.
Delphi Corporation and The Furukawa Electric Company, Ltd., through a joint venture created in December 2004, are seeking to better support Toyota’s R&D and manufacturing divisions with the new facility and local staff.
The Delphi Furukawa team is now physically located at the new 5,500 sq.- ft. customer service centre, located at 2311 Green Road in Ann Arbor.
The new centre, located across the street from Toyota Technical Centre (TTC), a division of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America (TEMA), will initially house 25 engineers, program managers and sales staff.
James A. Spencer, president of Delphi Packard Electric Systems, led a team of Delphi and Delphi Furukawa officials in hosting a grand opening event for TEMA officials on June 22.
“We are honoured to be a supplier to Toyota,” Spencer said. “It’s important to us to grow our relationship with them, which we seek to do by continuously improving and finding new ways to deliver better value, service and technology.”
“An important part of excellence is being there by your customer’s side, every day,” Spencer said. “Our Ann Arbor centre brings us closer to our customer, and enhances our ability to provide the immediate service that Toyota needs and deserves.”
Delphi is one of the world’s largest automotive components and systems suppliers.
The Furukawa Electric Company, Ltd., is one of Japan’s major electrical/electronic distribution systems (E/EDS) suppliers and Delphi’s partner in Delphi Furukawa Wiring Systems LLC.
In December of 2004, a partnership was formed between Delphi Packard and Furukawa Electric to blend both companies’ engineering capabilities, product design and assembly expertise.
“This partnership is a unique collaboration where competencies of both companies come together to provide Toyota the best support for its future programs,” said Jim Borzi, president of Delphi Furukawa Wiring Systems.
The Delphi Furukawa joint venture company is responsible for sales and engineering activities for select Toyota electrical/electronic distribution systems.
“This partnership provides Toyota with a great synergy between two leading companies,” Spencer said. “For Delphi, it’s our widely recognized capability in advanced electrical/electronics architecture design, and our leadership in system integration and optimization along with a vast customer support and manufacturing network. For Furukawa, it’s a strong engineering relationship with Toyota, with valuable insight into Toyota’s CAD systems and experience in Toyota’s product and process design methodologies.
This grand opening is the start here in North America to support the growth of the world’s fastest growing OEM.”
The facility allows for greater flexibility in creating a tailored product for Toyota, which is strengthened by close contact and coordination.
The facility also has an Obeya room where a cross-functional team can come together to solve problems quickly as part of Toyota’s Kaizen approach to project management.