DENSO Increases Production at Tennessee Plant

DENSO recently announced that it will begin ramping up production of stop/start starters at its manufacturing plant in Maryville, Tenn. The new production line will result in approximately 100 positions over the next two years.

The new starters, which will hit U.S. roads later this year, are designed to improve fuel efficiency by cutting the engine when the vehicle is at a stop or in other idle traffic situations.

As U.S. automakers look to meet the upcoming fuel requirements, consumers will see more vehicles equipped with stop/start technology. While this technology is not new to the global market, as it's already in the Japanese and European markets, it's definitely a newer technology on internal combustion engines in the United States.

Stop/start systems stop the engine when the vehicle is idling at a stoplight or in other traffic situations. This helps reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Depending on automaker specifications, the technology can help improve fuel efficiency by approximately 3 to 5 percent. DENSO plans to offer future stop/start system technology that is designed to bump that number to more than 7 percent, depending on the automaker's overall systems approach.

For more information, visit www.globaldenso.com.