is a global automotive components manufacturer headquartered in the city of Kariya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. After becoming independent from Toyota Motor, the company was founded as in 1949. About 25% of the company is owned by Toyota. Despite being a part of the Toyota Group of companies, as of the year ending March 2016, sales to the Toyota Group accounted for less than 50% of total revenue (44% of revenue originated from other car manufacturers in Japan, Germany, the U.S. and China). In 2016, Denso was the fourth largest auto parts supplier in the world. In 2022, Denso was listed at #278 on the Fortune Global 500 list with a total revenue of $49.0 billion and 167,950 employees. As of 2021, DENSO Corporation consisted of 200 consolidated subsidiaries (64 in Japan, 23 in North America, 32 in Europe, 74 in Asia, and seven in Oceania and other regions). Name The name is a blend word of the Japanese terms for and . Operations The company develops and manufactures various auto parts, including gasoline and diesel engine components, hybrid vehicle components, climate control systems, instrument clusters, airbag systems, pre-crash radar systems, and spark plugs. Denso also develops and manufactures non-automotive components, such as household heating equipment and industrial robots. A Denso industrial robot gained wide public attention in Japan when it conducted a game of shogi against professional players. In June 2020, Denso announced the opening of its "Electrification Innovation Center" at its plant in Anjō. The facility will support the company’s development of products and technologies for electric and hybrid vehicles. Sales In 2014, Denso's global sales were distributed as follows: Thermal systems: 30.4% Powertrain control systems: 35.0% Electronic systems: 15.3% Electric systems: 9.4% Electric motors: 7.0% Other automotive products: 1.4% Industrial systems, consumer products: 1.1% Other non-automotive products: 0.4% Denso Wave Denso Wave is a subsidiary that produces automatic identification products (barcode readers and related products), industrial robots, and programmable logic controllers. They are noted for creating the two-dimensional QR code, are a member of the Japan Robot Association, and support the ORiN standard. Denso International America Denso International America is the American subsidiary of Denso. In 1970, Denso Corporation decided to expand overseas from Kariya, Japan, to North America. Denso Sales California, Inc., was founded in Hawthorne, California, in March 1971. The company was staffed with only 12 associates, four of them being Americans. The objective of Denso