Robert Bosch GmbH
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Bosch GmbH [1] is a German corporation which was started in 1886 by Robert Bosch in Stuttgart, Germany. [2]
Bosch businesses include:
- automotive parts and systems supplier;[2]
- consumer goods (power tools, home appliances);[2]
- Industry and building services engineering; packaging technology; and safety engineering.
Robert Bosch GmbH is one of the world's top manufacturers of automobile components, including antilock braking and fuel-injection systems, starters, alternators, and auto electronics.[2] The company also produces industrial machinery and hand tools, plus owns 50% of Bosch-Siemens Hausgerate, the European appliance maker.[2] Bosch's Blaupunkt unit is a main manufacturer of vehicle audio equipment.[2] The subsidiary Bosch Rexroth produces hydraulic, electric, and pneumatic machinery for applications ranging from automotive to mining.[2]
The headquarters of Bosch is in Stuttgart. Franz Fehrenbach became chairman on July 1, 2003.
The top competitors of Robert Bosch GmbH are: Delphi Corporation (dphiq.pk), DENSO Corporation (dnzoy.pk), and Siemens VDO Automotive AG.[2]
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Bosch is a leading global supplier of automotive and industrial technology and of consumer goods and building technology. The Bosch Group comprises some 280 subsidiary companies. The objectives of the Bosch Group's activity are sustained profitable growth and the safeguarding of its independence which allows it to pursue long-term strategies. In 2005, worldwide sales of the Bosch Group came to 41.5 billion euros (reported as $49,102,300,000).[2] The number of employees around the globe in the three business sectors Automotive Technology, Industrial Technology, and Consumer Goods and Building Technology in 2005 came to approximately 250,995 (249,000 when reported[2]).
In 2004, Robert Bosch GmbH was 17th on the list of "Top 20 Patent Winners" in the United States, with 907 new patents. This was an improvement from 20th (758 patents) in 2003, and 23rd (683 patents) in 2002. [1] Total worldwide sales were around $50 billion in 2005, with about $8 billion in US sales. Bosch has a reputation for building products that are top quality, priced a little higher than their competitors, but built to last a lifetime.
[edit] Ownership
Robert Bosch GmbH, including its wholly owned subsidiaries such as Robert Bosch LLC in North America, is unusual in that it is an extremely large, privately owned corporation that is almost entirely (92%) owned by a charitable foundation. Thus while most of the profits are plowed back into the corporation to build for the future and sustain growth, nearly all of the profits distributed to shareholders are devoted to humanitarian causes.
As shown in the diagram (above), the Robert Bosch Stiftung ("Robert Bosch Foundation") holds 92% of the shares ("Beteiligung") of Robert Bosch GmbH, but no voting rights ("Stimmrecht"). The Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG ("Robert Bosch Industrial Trust KG"), with old members of the company management, agents of the Bosch family and other eminent people from the industry (such as Jürgen Hambrecht, CEO of BASF), have 93% of the votes ("Stimmen"), but no shares ("0.01"). The remaining 8% of shares and 7%[2] of voting-rights are held by the descendants of the company founder Robert Bosch (Familie Bosch).
For example, in 2004 the net profit was $2.1 billion. But only $78 million was distributed as dividends to shareholders. Of that figure, $72 million was distributed to the charitable foundation and the other $6 million to Bosch family stockholders. The remaining 96 percent of the profits were pumped back into the company. In its core automotive technology business, Bosch invests 9 percent of its revenue on research and development, nearly double the industry average of 4.7 percent. [2]
[edit] Arrangement of the company
Although most of the company's plants and employees are located in Germany, Bosch is a truly worldwide company.[2] In North America, Robert Bosch LLC (a wholly owned Bosch subsidiary) has corporate headquarters in Broadview, IL; with factories and distribution facilities in Mt. Prospect, IL; Hoffman Estates, IL; Farmington Hills, MI; Kentwood, MI; Waltham, MA; Clarksville, TN; and 14 other cities. The Research Technology Center is located in Palo Alto, CA near Stanford University. There are also four corporate sites in Mexico and two in Brazil.[3] In North America, Bosch employs about 23,000 people, including 17,060 in the United States, 5,340 in Mexico and 590 in Canada.
There are other wholly owned Bosch subsidiaries in:
- India (15,250 employees);
- Brazil (14,190);
- China (12,370);
- France (9,720);
- Czech Republic (8,690);
- Japan (8,130);
- Spain (7,950);
- Turkey (6,700);
- Hungary (6,280);
- Italy (5,160);
- the United Kingdom (4,920);
- Portugal (3,940);
- the Netherlands (3,320);
- Switzerland (2,780);
- Malaysia (2,220);
- Austria (2,140);
- Belgium (2,040);
- South Korea (2,000);
- Russia (1,730);
- Australia (1,700);
- Poland (1,640);
- Sweden (1,230);
- South Africa (1,010);
- Tunisia (770);
and other countries. Bosch employs over 251,000 people in 50 countries, supplying a complex distribution network of new products and parts. [4]
[edit] Automotive Technology
About 50 percent of Bosch's worldwide annual sales are produced in automotive technology. Bosch invented the magneto, a predecessor of the alternator, which sparked most of the earliest internal combustion engines. Bosch also invented the anti-lock braking system (ABS), and as time passed, Bosch became a leader in such specialized fields as traction control systems (TCS), the Electronic Stability Program (ESP), body electronics (such as central locking, doors, windows and seats), and oxygen sensors, injectors and fuel pumps. Even in such humble technological areas as spark plugs, wiper blades, engine cooling fans and other aftermarket parts, Bosch has over $1 billion in annual sales.
[edit] Industrial Technology
Bosch's subsidiary Bosch Rexroth is a supplier of industrial technology. Through this division, Bosch supplies technologies for driving, controlling, and moving machines. These technologies serve Bosch's two core markets – factory automation and mobile hydraulics. Bosch's packaging technology division plans, designs, manufactures and installs packaging lines for manufacturers of confectionery, food, and similar products. Bosch is the largest supplier of packaging technology.
[edit] Consumer goods and power tools
Bosch caters to the areas of consumer goods and building technology with its power tool, thermotechnology, and security systems, as well as with its household appliances business within the BSH Bosch and Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH joint venture.
With its brands Bosch, Skil, Dremel and RotoZip, Bosch manufactures power tools for the building trade, industry, and do-it-yourselfers. The product range also includes accessories such as drill bits and saw blades, as well as gardening appliances under its Gilmour brand.
In thermotechnology, Bosch has meanwhile started to manufacture heating units and hot water appliances.
BSH Bosch and Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH, in which Bosch and Siemens each hold a 50% share, is one of the world's top three companies in the household appliances industry. In Germany and western Europe, BSH is the market leader. Its portfolio includes the principal brand names Bosch and Siemens, the Gaggenau, Neff, Thermador, Constructa, Viva, and ufesa brands, and further six regional brands. Bosch household appliances for the North American market are mainly manufactured at its factory near New Bern, NC. Its competitors include Viking Range, Sub-Zero Refrigerator, Wolf Appliance (a division of Sub-Zero Refrigerator), Dacor, and Miele.
Bosch also supplies electronic security systems for homes, offices and vehicles, as well as the famous Blaupunkt car stereos.
[edit] History
| 1886 | Opening of Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering in Stuttgart on 15 November |
| 1887 | First low voltage-magneto from Bosch for stationary gasoline engines |
| 1897 | First low-voltage magneto ignition for motor vehicle engines |
| 1901 | First plant in Stuttgart |
| 1906 | Production of 100,000th magneto ignition |
| 1906 | Introduction of 8-hours working day |
| 1910 | Opening of plant in Stuttgart-Feuerbach |
| 1913 | Start of production of headlights |
| 1926 | Start of production of windshield wipers. |
| 1927 | First diesel fuel injection pump |
| 1929 | First TV Set from Fernseh AG Division. |
| 1932 | Birth of the Junkers & Co. |
| 1932 | First power drill from Bosch |
| 1932 | First Blaupunkt car audio |
| 1936 | First diesel fuel injection pump for passenger cars, such as the Mercedes-Benz 260D |
| 1942 | Death of the company founder Robert Bosch on 12 March |
| 1964 | Robert Bosch Foundation |
| 1965 | Worcester Bosch Group opens in England |
| 1970 | Company headquarter moves to Gerlingen |
| 1976 | First oxygen sensors |
| 1978 | Worldwide first anti-lock braking system (ABS) |
| 1979 | First electronic engine management system (Motronic) |
| 1986 | Traction control system (TCS) on the market |
| 1995 | First Electronic Stability Program (ESP) |
| 1997 | Common rail diesel fuel injection |
| 2000 | DI-Motronic gasoline direct injection system |
| 2003 | Acquisition of Buderus AG |
| 2003 | Digital car radio with MP3 drive and digital recorder (Blaupunkt) |
| 2004 | Third-generation common-rail diesel injection for cars, with piezo injectors |
| 2004 | Bosch opens new Technology Center in Abstatt |
| 2006 | Bosch acquires Telex Communications, a maker of hearing aids and audio equipment. |
[edit] Notes
[edit] External links
- Profile at Yahoo! Finance: Bosch-YF-profile.
- Home page of Bosch website in the English language
- Bosch GmbH USA official website
- Bosch GmbH UK official website
- Bosch Power Tools North America official website
- Authorized Bosch Power Tool Dealer
Categories: Articles lacking sources from Feb 2007 - need timeline source | All articles lacking sources | Auto parts suppliers | Motor vehicle companies | Automotive companies of Germany | Engineering companies of Germany | Electronics companies of Germany | German brands | Home appliance manufacturers | Tool manufacturers
