Bosch invests some 100 million euros

- Automotive Aftermarket division remains on stable growth course
- Development and modernization of logistics
- Expansion of the distribution center

KARLSRUHE – Bosch is extending its capacity in the Automotive Aftermar­ket division and expanding its distribution center at the Karlsruhe site. By 2018, the company will have invested a total of some 100 million euros in extending storage capacity, as well as in modernizing warehouse technol­ogy and material flow. “This investment will allow us to continue to grow and strengthen our leading position in the global spare parts industry,” said Robert Hanser, president of the Automotive Aftermarket division. Bosch employs approxi­mately 1,300 associates at the Karlsruhe site, which is also the location of the headquarters of the Automotive Aftermarket divi­sion.

Between 2013 and 2015, several extensions providing a total storage area of approximately 20,000 square meters are set to be built on the Bosch site in Karlsruhe. The total capacity of the high-rack warehouse is set to in­crease by 50 percent to approximately 160,000 pallet positions. It is planned that the new storage areas will go into operation in 2014. Work to modernize the existing distribution center will begin in parallel to this, and is set to be completed by 2018.

“This expansion demonstrates the importance we place on the Karlsruhe site,” Hanser said. The present distribution center, which covers a total floor space of 70,000 square meters, was opened in 1978. From here, ap­proximately 450,000 spare parts for vehicles – from antilock braking sys­tems to spark plugs – are sent to 140 countries around the world. Every day, more than 20,000 deliv­ery items are processed here and around 120 containers leave the center.

With more than 10,000 associates in 140 countries, the Automotive After­market division is the world’s leading supplier of vehicle spare parts, diag­nostic systems, workshop technology, and services for passenger car and commercial vehicle repair shops. In addition, the division manages the Bosch Car Service workshop franchise, the world’s largest independent chain of repair shops with more than 15,000 workshops, as well as the approximately 500 repair shops of the AutoCrew franchise.

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, some 285,000 associates generated sales of 47.3 billion euros in fiscal 2010. For 2011, the company forecasts sales of more than 50 billion euros and a headcount of a good 300,000 by the end of the year. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its more than 350 subsidiaries and regional companies in over 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 3.8 billion euros for research and development in 2010, and applied for over 3,800 patents worldwide. With all its products and services, Bosch enhances the quality of life by providing solutions which are both innovative and beneficial.

Bosch is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2011. The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as a “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering.” The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future. Ninety-two percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, an industrial trust. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by the trust. The remaining shares are held by the Bosch family and by Robert Bosch GmbH.

Additional information can be accessed at www.bosch.com, www.bosch-press.com, and www.125.bosch.com