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Asahi Kasei Plastics North America Receives Business Partner Award from DENSO

2025.06.23

Business Partner Award from DENSO

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Asahi Kasei Plastics North America Receives Business Partner Award from DENSO

 

FOWLERVILLE, Michigan (June 23, 2025)DENSO, a leading mobility supplier, recognized Asahi Kasei America North America (“APNA”) with a 2025 North America Business Partner Award in the Value Leader category at its annual North America Business Partner Convention on June 17. During the event, DENSO brought together approximately 150 supplier representatives across North America to recognize 15 exceptional business partners.

Business Partner Award from DENSO 02Pictured left to right: Tom Arakawa (Executive Officer, DENSO Corporation, CEO, DENSO in North America, President, DENSO International), Sean Catt (Senior Account Manager, Asahi Kasei Plastics North America), Vive Apte (Principal Product Development Engineer, Asahi Kasei Plastics North America), and Kim Buhl (Vice President, North America Purchasing, DENSO)

“We are honored to be recognized by DENSO with this year’s Value Leader Award. This award reflects the trust, collaboration, and shared commitment to reliability that define our partnership. Moments such as this reinforce our dedication to continue delivering value, quality, and sustainable growth for our partners and the industry,” said Phani Nagaraj, President of APNA.

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

DENSO’s Business Partner Awards are given to companies that demonstrate exceptional supplier partnership in such areas as quality, service, technology, value, and sustainability.

A key theme at this year’s NABPC was exploring how DENSO and suppliers could thrive together amid market uncertainties. Throughout the program, DENSO leaders stressed the need to maintain strong relationships, be adaptable, and harness each other’s combined strengths to overcome potential difficulties and continue to support cleaner, safer mobility.

“With all the change currently facing our industry, we must remain flexible and resilient to deliver for our customers,” said Kim Buhl, vice president of the North America Purchasing Group at DENSO. “We can only do this with the help of our suppliers. So, this year, as we congratulate those who have performed exceptionally in creating new value for DENSO, we also thank our entire supplier network. world.”

“All of us at APNA are proud to support DENSO’s vision for excellence in mobility solutions through our advanced materials and customer-focused approach,” Nagaraj added. “We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to their success and remain committed to advancing technologies that drive mobility forward.”

 

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 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 $47.9 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 180 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 158,000 global employees are paving the way to a mobility future that improves lives, eliminates traffic accidents, and preserves the environment. DENSO spent around 8.6 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025. For more information about DENSO's operations worldwide, visit https://www.denso.com/global.

In North America, DENSO is headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, and employs 27,000+ team members across nearly 50 sites in the US, Canada and Mexico. In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, DENSO in North America generated $12.5 billion in consolidated sales. To learn more about DENSO operations in the region and explore career opportunities, please visit https://www.denso.com/us-ca/en/.

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