Asahi Kasei Plastics North America Recognized by DENSO with 2026 North America Business Partner Award

Asahi Kasei Plastics North America Recognized by DENSO with 2026 North America Business Partner Award

Award highlights collaboration, innovation, and a shared commitment to building a resilient future

 

Michigan, United States (July 13, 2026)–DENSO, a leading mobility supplier, has been honored–Asahi Kasei America North America (“APNA”) a manufacturer of engineered polymers and chemically coupled polypropylene resins, with a 2026 North America Business Partner Award.
Asahi Kasei Plastics North America accepted the Value Leader award in recognition of its high performance in the category during DENSO 's annual business partner convention held June 16 in Novi, Michigan.

APNA supplies Thermylene®, LEONA™, XYRON™, TENAC™, and Thermylon® products to DENSO in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.

This year's convention theme—“Tradition Meets Transformation, Let's Craft Tomorrow Together”—reflected DENSO 's continued focus on strengthening long-standing partnerships while evolving to meet new industry realities. From geopolitical shifts to supply chain transformation, the event underscored the importance of collaboration, innovation, and resilience in an increasingly complex global environment.

“Today's landscape demands that we redefine what it means to be competitive,” said Kim Buhl, vice president of North America Purchasing at DENSO. “As policy, regionalization and evolving customer expectations reshape our industry, success depends on building a resilient, transparent and agile supply chain. This year's program reminds us that if we work closely with our business partners, stay aligned to customer needs, and embrace change, we can create a more sustainable future together.”

“This award recognizes the work our teams do every day to create value for DENSO,” said Phani Nagaraj, President of APNA. “We have built a strong partnership by combining material innovation, responsive technical support, and reliable execution. We are honored by DENSO 's recognition and remain committed to supporting their success in markets around the world.”

During the event, DENSO leaders highlighted both the challenges facing the automotive industry and the opportunities ahead. Discussions emphasized the need to maintain a customer-first mindset, along with increasing regional self-sufficiency, strengthening supply chain collaboration, and adapting quickly to changing market dynamics.

While DENSO values all its suppliers, the awards program recognizes companies that demonstrate exceptional performance in quality, value, innovation, and overall partnership.

 

About Asahi Kasei Plastics North America, Inc.
Asahi Kasei Plastics North America, Inc. (“APNA”) is a leading manufacturer of innovative, high-performance, engineered polymers and chemically coupled polypropylene resins in North America. The product line includes XYRON™ (modified polyphenylene ether), Thermylene® (specialty chemically coupled polypropylene), LEONA™ (nylon 6/6, 6/6+6i), TENAC™ (homopolymer and copolymer acetal), Thermylon® (nylon 6, 6/6), and Asaclean™ (purging compounds and concentrates). APNA currently has four locations in North America and over 350 employees. For more information, visit here. 

About DENSO
Globally headquartered in Kariya, Japan, DENSO is a 7,540.0 billion yen (US$47.2 billion) leading 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 around 170 facilities worldwide to provide opportunities for rewarding careers and to produce cutting-edge electrification, powertrain, thermal and mobility electronics products, among others, that change how the world moves. In developing such solutions, the company’s 155,000 global employees are paving the way to a mobility future that improves lives, eliminates traffic accidents, and preserves the environment. DENSO spent around 9.2 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026. For more information about DENSO’s operations worldwide, visit https://www.denso.com/global/en/.

In North America, DENSO is headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, and employs 23,000+ team members across nearly 50 sites in the US, Canada and Mexico. In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, DENSO in North America generated $12.7 billion in consolidated sales. To learn more about DENSO operations in the region, please visit https://www.denso.com/us-ca/en/.