EXEDY gives back to society

When EXEDY is not setting global standards for niche vehicle components, it is leading the world in corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Just next to its Neyagawa headquarters in Osaka, the world's leading designer and manufacturer of manual clutch and torque converters has established a different kind of subsidiary. EXEDY Sun looks like an ordinary company from the outside. But inside the 400-square-metre facility, physically challenged workers wash and clean containers and arrange vehicle parts. About 27 of its 32 employees are autistic or have a disability.

"This is our way of giving back to society," says Haruo Shimizu, president and CEO of EXEDY. "This philosophy is a core aspect of our corporate identity."

The company's CSR activities include the Kiddyland kindergarten school and extensive relief operations in Thailand during the floods. In particular, its CSR programme has become a model for the government and other private companies in Thailand.

The company operates in 23 countries through 41 subsidiaries, six of which are in China. Focused on safety, quality, just-in-time delivery and cost, the EXEDY Group caters to giant original equipment manufacturers such as Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Volvo, Ford, GM, Daimler, Hyundai and many others.

A first mover in the market, EXEDY enjoys global technological leadership. By using lighter materials such as paper bonded with metal, for example, the company has raised the efficiency of its torque converters up to about 90 per cent.