- Business
- Sanden Corporation (6444:JP; SAEOF:US), a leading manufacturer of automotive thermal management systems and air conditioning components, develops, produces and sells compressors, HVAC units, heat exchangers, electric coolant heaters and integrated thermal management systems (ITMS) for passenger vehicles, commercial trucks, buses, construction and agricultural equipment worldwide; its automotive equipment segment, which accounts for the majority of revenues, encompasses mechanical compressors including wobble plate fixed displacement and swash plate variable displacement types, electric compressors (EC), CO2 compressors, heat pumps, condensers, evaporators and related system components such as pipes and oils, with cumulative global compressor production exceeding 400 million units and a world number two market share in certain categories. Founded on July 30, 1943 and headquartered in Isesaki, Gunma, Japan, the company operates 46 sites across 22 countries in Asia, Europe, the Americas and Japan, serving major OEMs including top battery electric vehicle (BEV) producers in China (such as BYD), Europe (Volkswagen, Stellantis) and North America (Tesla); it maintains a subsidiary relationship with Hisense Japan Automotive Air-Conditioning Systems Corporation following a 2021 capital tie-up with Hisense Home Appliances Group, changed its name from Sanden Holdings Corporation in January 2022, and launched the SHIFT2028 medium-term management plan in February 2024 targeting JPY 300 billion in sales by 2028 through NEV-focused growth. Recent developments include acquiring commercial rights for electric compressors and HVAC from two emerging North American EV makers in June 2024, starting mass production of 800V high-voltage electric coolant heaters in China in April 2024, launching next-generation electric compressor lines in Europe in May 2024, expanding HVAC capacity to 4.5 million units annually in China in March 2024, introducing high-durability low-CO2 compressors for North American trucks in January 2024, forming an ITMS collaboration with Vitesco Technologies announced in May 2024, and exhibiting at CES 2025 with Hisense; the company continues heavy investments in EV/ITMS production across five global poles, procurement synergies with Hisense, and sustainability initiatives like SBT-certified GHG reductions and CSRD compliance.