KARIYA, Japan — DENSO has announced plans to build a new test facility at its Zenmyo Plant located in Nishio, Aichi, Japan, for testing common rail systems-fuel injection systems for diesel vehicles. With a total investment of approximately $77.2 million, construction is scheduled to start in May 2009 and be completed in March 2010. The new facility is set to begin operations in April 2010.

Currently, all tests and evaluations of common rail systems that need to be performed in Japan are conducted at DENSO headquarters in Kariya, Aichi, Japan. DENSO will continue common rail design and development testing at its headquarters, but will be able to conduct performance evaluations and durability tests at the new testing facility at the Zenmyo Plant, which produces common rail systems. This approach will help DENSO speed up product development, according to the company.

"The construction of a new test facility will help DENSO improve development efficiency and strengthen R&D systems for common rail systems to comply with increasingly strict exhaust emission and fuel consumption regulations, and to apply to different types of fuels, such as biofuels," said Masahiko Miyaki, managing officer responsible of DENSO’s Powertrain Control Systems Business Group.

For more information, go to http://www.globaldenso.com.