Bosch
has committed an additional investment of Rs 850 crores. This follows
investments of Rs 1800 crores from 2005 to 2008 thus hiking Bosch's
investment into its Indian operations to a total of Rs 2650 crores by the
year 2010. While the sales of the Bosch Group are expected to grow in India
by about 20 per cent in 2007 to nearly Rs 4700 crores, including exports,
the sales of the Bosch Group companies in India will be more than Rs 5700
crores.
Dr Bernd Bohr, member of the Bosch Board of Management and Chairman of the
Automotive Group said, "India's dynamic growth is clearly reflected in
our company's performance. Our response to India's strong economic growth
and increasing motorisation is to expand local development and
manufacturing". With the software market in Bangalore getting
competitive, Bosch has started expanding its Coimbatore engineering facility
and as part of the additional investments and various activities planned the
number of Bosch's workforce in India is estimated to exceed 18,000
associates by the beginning of the year 2008.
Apart from expansion of common rail diesel production and further
strengthening of the engineering centre at Coimbatore, the additional
investment committed by Bosch will aid the manufacture of gasoline system
components from 2008. Local manufacture of ABS is planned by the end of 2008
and the production of electronic control units in the year 2009.
Dr Bohr stated that Bosch would not be hiking its stake in its Indian
subsidiary Mico, which is currently close to 70 per cent, and added that the
name Mico would be changed to Bosch Limited, subject to approval of the
shareholders and Registrar of Companies. "Auto makers have asked us if
we are present in India and we have had to explain them that we are and Mico
is our company in India. To avoid this we want to change the name from Mico
to Bosch," remarked Dr Bohr. Mico's management is also slated for a
change. Dr Albert Hieronimus, who has headed Mico for the last four years as
Managing Director, will become Chairman of the Board of Management of Bosch
Rexroth AG from 1, February 2008. At the same time, Dr Hieronimus will take
over as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mico from the outgoing
Chairman, Hubert Zimmerer. V K Viswanathan, Joint Managing Director of Mico
and a member of the Board of Directors will take over as the new Managing
Director of the company from February 1, 2008. Further, Dr Manfred Duernholz,
Senior Vice President, Advanced Engineering in the Diesel Systems Division
at Bosch, Germany, will join the Mico management team as Joint Managing
Director and will be responsible for Product Area Power train.
Stressing on products and developments that further reduce fuel consumption
and harmful emissions to support rapid motorisation of India, Dr Bohr
expressed that India has been the driver for Bosch developing new systems
and products for the developing markets. He added that in the current year
as many as 100,000 common-rail systems will be produced by Bosch in India.
"In 2010, this figure will already be as high as some 1.3 million, and
it is expected that the two-million mark will be reached in 2013. Increasing
volumes are also to be seen in all the other products Bosch manufactures in
India. By 2010, 1.5 million starters and two million alternators will be
manufactured in India, compared to around half a million of each in 2006.
The projection for 2010 suggests 4.7 million Indian vehicles will be fitted
with Bosch brakes - 1.6 million more than this year." "Over the
long term, and provided there is a local market, we will launch innovations
in India that go beyond ABS," Dr Bohr added. He also announced that
Bosch has received a large order from a two-wheeler manufacturer in India to
supply fuel injection systems.
Bosch, which developed the value motronic fuel injection system for low cost
automobiles is claimed to be talking to a number of automakers for low cost
fuel injection systems for low cost entry-level automobiles. Claimed to be a
supplier of gasoline and diesel injection systems to the Rs One-lakh car,
Bosch's other business are showing good growth in India according to Dr
Bohr. The German giant, who has just commissioned its packaging facility at
Verna in Goa is also enjoying good growth when it comes to Bosch Rexroth.
Based at Ahmedabad, Bosch Rexroth India is a leading supplier for the
mechanical engineering and power engineering industries. "Bosch Rexroth
hydraulic systems are already fitted in more than 20 dams and some 1,350
wind turbines across India. In this way, Bosch is supporting India's
sustainable development with safe, clean, and economical products - and this
not only in the automotive technology sector," signed off Dr Bohr.
|
