Software company Symbio and automotive component manufacturer Denso announced the establishment of a joint innovation center in Finland. The innovation center will be based at Symbio's site in Espoo.

"The automotive industry is facing major disruption. Electric cars, self-driving vehicles, and new digital services for driving and maintenance are changing both the intelligence in the car and its components. We announced some time ago that Symbio will open a new subsidiary in Germany especially for our automotive clients' needs. Besides Espoo, this provides additional opportunity for developing our new partnership with Denso with our German subsidiary," said Arto Kuusinen, Symbio's Chief Executive - Europe.

The letter of intent for establishing the joint innovation center with Denso was signed on October 24, and activities will begin this year. Europe is a clear growth area for Symbio, according to the company. The aim of the joint innovation center is to combine Denso’s automotive technology background with Symbio's knowledge of consumer products under one roof.

"We are now exploring beyond the vehicle 'shell' to create new value for the future new mobility society and users, and we are very excited about the potential opportunities provided by our joint innovation center with Symbio," said Kazuoki Matsugatani, Executive Director for Denso Corp. "Our goal is to develop solutions that strive to enrich the user experience for connected mobility that is sustainable, comfortable, and convenient for everyone."

Using "Design Thinking" methodology, Symbio and Denso say they will build new concepts and solutions for Denso’s clients. In the innovation center, Symbio and Denso employees will work side-by-side. Symbio will focus on hiring concept designers and software architects for the new innovation center. Through rapid prototyping, Symbio and Denso aim to build profitable solutions quickly for the automotive mobility industry.

"It is great that Symbio reaches this strategic position with a major automotive component manufacturer and allows us to be a significant part of developing the automotive ecosystem. The joint innovation center is in the heart of developing new revenue streams," said Kuusinen.