Granite River Labs (GRL), a global leader in engineering services, test automation solutions for digital connectivity and charging technologies, and professional market access services, has embarked on a major expansion in Japan to meet surging demand for advanced automotive solutions, sophisticated digital consumer products, and new wireless and IoT devices designed to harness metaverse applications. GRL has tripled the size of its test lab in Yokohama and plans to double the headcount at the facility, which provides technical and professional services required to ensure local success and access global markets.
GRL’s expansion is led by digital products veteran Ken Suganami, recently appointed as President & CEO of GRL Japan. Suganami joins GRL after an 11-year stint as Japan regional segment marketing director for Arm Ltd. where he worked closely with major Japanese OEMs and semiconductor developers.
Under Suganami’s leadership a key focus will be on helping Japanese carmakers and their OEM suppliers address the massive data processing burden created by the new generation of autonomous and electric vehicles. That includes testing and certifying the increasing number of wired and wireless digital interfaces linking sensors and intelligent onboard systems to ensure a safe, smooth and secure driving experience.
GRL is also committed to supporting Japanese digital consumer product companies and developers of game technology keen on making their mark in the emerging metaverse. That includes testing and certifying the interconnected IoT sensors used to capture movements and gestures, and devices capable of delivering the high speed and lower latency performance required for immersive gameplay and other sophisticated applications.
“I am extremely pleased to join GRL,” said Ken Suganami, President & CEO of GRL Japan. “I hope my experience in the automotive, embedded, smartphone, gaming, and digital consumer product segments, as well as an intimate understanding of machine learning, GPU and CPU based system architectures in digital consumer products, will help broaden GRL’s reach and accelerate growth.”
“GRL has operated in Japan for over a decade, and we launched our test lab in Yokohama to support the country’s rich and varied hardware ecosystem. With this latest expansion, the organization is focused on meeting the technical and market access needs of companies in Japan who are competing on the most exciting frontiers of technology,” said Holger Kunz, President of Worldwide Services at GRL. “We are very happy to have Ken on our management team and I am confident that he will help us to continue our strong growth journey globally and in Japan.”
Please email your media inquiry to mktg@graniteriverlabs.com