All processes from the development manufacturing consignment development
such as the control equipment to manufacturing are supported in total.
Our great contributor this time is Mr. TK, who had worked for many years at DENSO Malaysia. He had been working very hard since the establish of DENSO Malaysia's electronics plant, which produces controller products. He would like to share his experiences in Malaysia which he never had in Japan.
It is my great pleasure to introduce you DENSO Malaysia, which manufactures automotive components and controller products. It has been 26years since it was established in 1980.The electronics plant, which manufactures controller products, was built in 1996.
There are five other associates from DENSO Wave working in Malaysia. They work in areas such as design, production technology, production and quality assurance.
I was first posted in 1995 as a member of the project team for the construction of the electronics plant. After I completed that posting for five years. I continue to service for another 3 years in 2002. As a total, I had been working together with local Malaysian staff for almost ten years. It is no doubt that Malaysia is my second home.
| Company | DENSO (Malaysia) SDN. BHD. |
|---|---|
| Capital | 20,536,000 MYR |
| Address | Bangi, Selangor(30-minute drive from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital city) |
| Number of employees | 1,404 (as of March 2005) |
| Products | Automotive Components Electrical components, air-conditioning units, engine ECUs, radiators, ECUs Controller Products Programmable controllers, etc. |
Malaysia is a Muslim country and consist of multi-ethnic society. The cultural differences surprises me when I was first posted to Malaysia. Muslims must pray five times a day, so they would often request to excuse themselves from meetings with "I need to go praying for a while". Also, because Muslims do not eat pork and Hindis do not eat beef, the menu in the staff cafeteria featured with chicken and fish dishes every day. Incident as such, which sound quite unusual compared to our workplaces in Japan, happen everyday in Malaysia.
As we spent more time there, we gradually became more habituated to these things and were able to adapt to the cultures there. I am sure that our own Japanese culture must also sound very strange to the Malaysian staff. I think it is important to respect each other's culture and religion. I was also extremely impressed by local workers' conscientious approach to their work. Of course, there were times when I could have fainted ("What on earth have you done!?").
In April 2005, the plant reached the milestone of producing its 10 million controller product since its commissioning in 1996. This achievement was celebrated with a brief ceremony attended by the Controller Business Division General Manager, who came from Japan specially to attend the ceremony. As I witnessed the ceremony, I found myself reminiscing about many things that I had seen and experienced during my involvement with the plant since its establishment, and it was a very touching and emotional moment for me.
Although it is an Islamic nation, Malaysia's political situation is very stable and the streets are very safe. Thanks to good relations between our two governments, the feelings of Malays towards Japan, both in government and among the general public, are quite friendly. It has well-developed infrastructure, such as electricity and public transport.
Also, because some of the Japan's major electrical appliance manufacturers were available in Malaysia, and the electronic components infrastructure is also well developed, it made the construction job of an electronic components plant much easier. Nevertheless, There has been a change in work ethic among young Malays in the past ten years, so we also have no problems in terms of employee turnover levels at the plant. One of the major advantage of working in Malaysia is that, unlike countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and China, we are able to work using English.
I will first give an overview of Malaysia.
| Area | Approximately 330,000 km2 (90% of Japan's land area) |
|---|---|
| Population | Approximately 24 million (66% Malay, 26% Chinese, 8% Indian) |
| Languages | Malay, English, Chinese, Tamil (English is the working language at the plant) |
| Climate | The annual average temperature is 27°C, but temperatures are well above 30°C during the day. |
| Time | Difference One hour behind Japan (For some reason it is the same as Hong Kong, so it is still dark when I wake up in the morning.) |
City of Kuala Lumpur (Left picture)
KL twin tower (Right picture) Second-highest building in the world
Kuala Lumpur, where I live, is a much bigger metropolis than most people think. While it may not be as big metropolitan as Shinjuku, it is certainly more metropolitan than, say, Kichijoji. Shopping also offers most of the famous designer brands, and the "mega-sales", which are held several times a year, provide a great opportunity to pick up some great bargains items.
As can be expected from such a multicultural nation, a wide variety of cuisines is available, including Chinese, Indian, Thai and even a high standard of authentic Italian cuisine. (After experiencing Chinese food in Malaysia, my family no longer eats Chinese food in Japan.) There is no hope of dieting while you live there.
Also, just a few kilometers outside the city there are many delightful green areas, and just a short flight (30 minutes) away, you are able to see sea turtles swim through the crystal clear waters of the blue ocean. It is a beautiful and safe country, which would be the perfect place to live... if only I didn't have to go to work.
