Business/economy

Decentralized power supply Bosch plans to acquire Energiecontracting Heidelberg AG

  • Comprehensive portfolio of services for energy management and supply
  • Broad range of products and services in cooperation with other Bosch divisions
Stuttgart/Heidelberg – The Bosch Group is planning to acquire Energiecontracting Heidelberg AG, a specialist in the area of decentralized power generation. An agreement to this effect has been signed with EC Bioenergie GmbH, the parent company of Energiecontracting Heidelberg AG. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchasing price. The acquisition is subject to approval by the antitrust authorities.

Energiecontracting Heidelberg AG finances, builds and operates power generation facilities. These facilities use not only conventional fuels, but also increasingly renewable sources of energy. In 2011, Energiecontracting Heidelberg AG and its roughly 90 associates generated sales of some 13 million euros. “In the coming years, a decentralized energy supply will become ever more significant. For this reason, it is important that we enter this field of business by acquiring a company that is already firmly established in the market,” said Michael Blichmann, the general manager of Bosch Energy and Building Solutions GmbH.

Customer benefit: cooperation with other Bosch divisions
Energiecontracting Heidelberg AG is to become part of Bosch Energy and Building Solutions GmbH, which was established in 2011. With headquarters in Stuttgart, the company offers a broad range of products and services for the owners of large building complexes, including the efficient management and supply of energy. This helps lower energy costs in a lasting manner. Its portfolio ranges from advisory services and the optimization of existing facilities to the construction and operation of power-generating plant and local heating networks. “In addition to the expertise of our engineers, Bosch Energy and Building Solutions GmbH draws its strength from its access to the knowledge and experience of several Bosch Group divisions,” Blichmann said. This includes areas such as heating technology, photovoltaics, wind power, security technology, as well as software and systems technology. “Our company provides its customers with a range of products and services which energy service providers cannot offer in this breadth,” Blichmann said.

Bosch Energy and Building Solutions GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH. Headquartered in Stuttgart, the company, which was established in 2011, specializes in services designed to improved energy efficiency in commercial buildings. By combining customized energy concepts, services, and advanced technology, the company can provide an energy saving of 20 percent on average for its customers, which include medium seized and industrial enterprises, hospitals, and the owners of large residential complexes.

More information is available online at www.bosch-energy.de

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In the areas of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology, more than 300,000 associates generated sales of 51.5 billion euros in fiscal 2011. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 350 subsidiaries and regional companies in some 60 countries. If its sales and service partners are included, then Bosch is represented in roughly 150 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. Bosch spent 4.2 billion euros for research and development in 2011, and applied for over 4,100 patents worldwide. With all its products and services, Bosch enhances the quality of life by providing solutions which are both innovative and beneficial.

Further information is available online at www.bosch.com, www.bosch-press.com.

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  • May 31, 2012
  • Press releases
  • Business/economy

Injection-pump and small-series production specialist Bosch plans takeover of Koller + Schwemmer’s business operations

  • Diesel product portfolio to be broadened
  • Parts to be available longer, improved remanufacturing possibilities
  • Operations to be continued by a separate Bosch subsidiary
Karlsruhe – The Bosch Automotive Aftermarket division is planning to take over the operations of Koller + Schwemmer GmbH & Co. KG, which is headquartered in Nuremberg, Germany. An agreement to this effect was signed on May 7, 2012. Last year, Koller + Schwemmer generated sales of some 20 million euros with a workforce of 125 associates. It has been agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The acquisition is subject to approval by the antitrust authorities.

With the takeover of Koller + Schwemmer, the Bosch Automotive Aftermarket division is expanding its portfolio of diesel-related products and services. “By adding Koller und Schwemmer's manufacturing activities to our portfolio, we are ensuring the long-term availability of diesel replacement parts. In addition, we are adding to the scope of our remanufacturing activities for the entire product life cycle," said Robert Hanser, president of the Automotive Aftermarket division.

Service provision to continue
Bosch can already look back on a lengthy partnership with Koller + Schwemmer, which has a long tradition. In 1927, the company founder Willi Koller took over the running of the city's Bosch Service repair shop. Today, the company operates a Bosch Car Service repair shop as well as a Bosch Diesel Center. Koller + Schwemmer has extensive experience in remanufacturing inline injection pumps. Moreover, Koller + Schwemmer associates assemble inline injection pump units to support series production at the Bosch Diesel Systems division. And, in cooperation with Bosch Automotive Tradition, the Nuremberg company is also active in small and aftermarket series production for the Bosch Classic Unit Automotive Tradtion.

The new Bosch subsidiary will carry on the existing operations of the Bosch Car Service repair shop and of the Bosch Diesel Center.
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  • May 08, 2012
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  • Business/economy

Bosch to build automotive technology plant in Romania

  • New manufacturing and engineering site for electronic control units
  • 340 jobs to be created and 77 million euros invested by end of 2013
Cluj-Napoca – The Bosch Group plans to set up a location for the manufacturing and development of automotive electronic control units in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. In the first phase of construction work up to the end of 2013, the planned investment is 77 million euros. Construction work is to start in the second quarter of 2012, and manufacturing is scheduled to begin in mid-2013. The resulting facilities will cover a total floor space of 38,000 square meters. By the end of 2013, it is planned that some 340 associates will work in manufacturing and development in Cluj-Napoca. In the years that follow, the location is to be further expanded.

Cluj-Napoca is roughly 300 kilometers northwest of Bucharest. Organizationally, the new location is assigned to the Automotive Electronics division, which manufactures electronic control units, semiconductors, and sensors for use in automotive technology and other areas. The division has 17 manufacturing sites around the world and employs some 20,000 associates.

The Bosch Group currently has three locations in Romania. In Bucharest, it has a sales company for power tools, thermotechnology, security systems, and automotive aftermarket products, and it runs a communication center in Timisoara. In Blaj, it has a manufacturing facility for linear-motion technology, which is currently being expanded to include manufacturing operations for automotive technology. In total, some 1,400 associates currently work for Bosch in Romania.
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  • May 08, 2012
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Award conferred by Federal Chancellor Merkel Bosch is Germany’s most family-friendly large enterprise Exemplary support for associates

  • Family-friendliness is a strategic component of HR policy
  • Modern work arrangements based on telecommuting or part-time schemes
  • Board of management member Christoph Kübel: “Everyone benefits from flexible work arrangements”
  • Bosch to hire more than 13,000 university graduates in 2012
Berlin / Stuttgart – The Bosch Group has been named Germany’s most family-friendly large enterprise. As part of the competition “Erfolgsfaktor Familie” (Family as a success factor: www.erfolgsfaktor-familie.de), Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel and the Federal Family Minister Dr. Kristina Schröder yesterday presented awards to companies that promote work-life balance in an exemplary way. In the “large enterprises” category for companies with a workforce of more than 1,000, Bosch was judged the overall winner. More than 530 companies had entered for the competition, which was held for the third time. Of these, 42 made it to the final round, and nine received awards.

“The winning companies impressively demonstrate how well business success and family-friendly HR policy go together,” said Kristina Schröder, the Federal Minister for Family Affairs. “This makes them an inspiration for the entire German economy, and a model for other companies to copy.”

Everyone benefits from family-friendliness
The Bosch board of management member Christoph Kübel said: “We do what we can to help our associates structure their work arrangements. With part-time work, childcare facilities, and the possibility of telecommuting, mothers and fathers are given the flexibility they need to balance the demands of professional and private life. It's a win-win situation all around: for our associates, for their families, and for us as a company.”

Executives set an example
Working flexibly to create a work-life balance has been possible at Bosch since the mid-1990s. The company now offers several hundred part-time working models. And it does so on all levels of the hierarchy: every fourth female executive works part-time. In order to make executives more aware of the work-life balance issue, the “MORE” (mindset organization executives) project was set up in 2011. Some 150 executives are trying our different work models. They are working from home or part-time, initially for a limited period. The aim of the project is to highlight even more clearly what the benefits are, and in particular to win over executives – especially those who have up to now tended to view this issue skeptically – as role models for flexible and family-friendly work arrangements.

Bosch, a global supplier of technology and services, plans to hire some 13,400 university graduates worldwide by the end of this year, roughly 3,000 of them in Germany alone. For information about Bosch as an employer, and to apply for a career, go to: www.bosch-career.com

Video:  www.erfolgsfaktor-familie.de/default.asp?id=368&d=12
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  • May 03, 2012
  • Press releases
  • Business/economy
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