DENSO invests in Certhon Group

DENSO Corporation (DENSO), the second largest advanced automotive technology supplier in the world, has announced its investment in Certhon Group (Certhon), DENSO and Certhon will collaborate to develop and provide greenhouse solutions.

While food demand increases as the global population continues to grow, the number of agricultural population is decreasing due to demographic aging, unstable wages, and strict work environment. Environmental issues caused by climate change and abnormal weather patterns have led to unstable agricultural production. To tackle these global food-related issues, it is necessary to establish a stable and sustainable agricultural production system by saving labor and reducing heavy work, and by creating a cultivation environment that is not affected by climate.

Denso is a Japanese company and a leading global supplier of advanced automotive technology, systems and parts for major vehicle manufacturers. By combining the knowledge and expertise of Denso in the field of automation (industrial robotics) with the advanced horticultural techniques and cultivation knowledge of Certhon, a partnership is being developed within which a new generation of horticultural solutions will be developed.

Through this capital alliance, and combined with Certhon’s horticulture business knowledge, DENSO will develop next-generation greenhouse technologies, such as fully automated indoor farming, and sell greenhouse package solutions tailored to the diverse needs of countries across the world.

DENSO Group’s Long-term Policy 2030 launched in 2017 has identified non-automotive business as one of its four focus areas and has defined agriculture as a key pillar under the non-automotive field. Until now, DENSO has contributed to the improvement of productivity in the agricultural field and the stabilization of cultivation environments through climate control technologies. As part of that, AgriD, Inc., established in 2018 with Asai Nursery, Inc., has built one of the largest greenhouses in Japan to realize greenhouse operations 24/7 through cooperation between farmers and robots to reduce the amount of work. Moreover, DENSO has started the demonstration of the automatic harvesting robot “FARO” developed by DENSO.

In the future, DENSO will contribute to sustainable agricultural production through industrialization, and will provide new value to the agri-food sector by establishing an integrated food value chain business.

About DENSO Corporation
DENSO is a €44 billion global mobility supplier that develops advanced technology and components for nearly every vehicle make and model on the road today. With manufacturing at its core, DENSO invests in its 211 facilities in 35 countries to produce thermal, powertrain, mobility, electrification, and electronic systems, to create jobs that are changing the way the world moves.

The company’s more than 170,000 associates are paving the way towards mobility that improves lives, eliminates traffic accidents, and works in harmony with the environment. With its global headquarters located in Kariya, Japan, DENSO in the European region consists of R&D, manufacturing and sales operations across 15 countries and employs more than 17,000 people.

Underscoring its commitment towards shaping the future of mobility, DENSO spent 9.3% of its global consolidated sales on research and development in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2019.

For more information about DENSO, visit www.denso.com.