Bosch opens new plant in China

* Total investment of up to 100 million euros
* Products to improve road safety in world’s largest automotive market
* Strengthening local production for local customers

Chengdu - Bosch opened a new plant in Chengdu, western China. In the future, the plant will manufacture safety systems such as the ABS antilock braking system and the ESP(R) electronic stability program for local customers. The new site covers a total of some 127,000 square meters. Bosch, a supplier of technology and services, will be investing roughly 100 million euros in the location in the years ahead. Of this amount, 35 million euros have already been spent on the first construction phase.

The new manufacturing facility will strengthen the company’s local presence. “Chinese drivers are placing increasing importance on road safety. Like in other regions, this is causing increased demand for safety systems,” said Dr. Dirk Hoheisel, who sits on the Bosch board of management, at the official opening ceremony. “Our new Chengdu plant underlines our great confidence in the world’s largest automotive market. And by manufacturing locally, we can react better and faster to the requirements of our western Chinese customers.”

In organizational terms, the new plant will belong to the Chassis Systems Control division. This Bosch division manufactures and develops components and systems for active and passive safety, as well as driver assistance systems. Worldwide, Chassis Systems Control employs some 16,000 associates at more than 35 locations. It has had a manufacturing facility in Suzhou, near Shanghai, since 2002. To allow these safety systems to be tested, Bosch opened a further test track in Donghai, in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu, in June this year.

Bosch in China
A global supplier of technology and services, Bosch has been present in China since 1909. Today, Bosch China has some 34,000 associates, working in the Automotive Technology, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology business sectors at 58 locations. Following Germany and the U.S., China is Bosch’s third largest market. It generated sales of some 5.1 billion euros in 2012.



The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In fiscal 2012, its roughly 306,000 associates generated sales of 52.5 billion euros. Since the beginning of 2013, its operations have been divided into four business sectors: Automotive Technology, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 360 subsidiaries and regional companies in some 50 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 some 4.8 billion euros for research and development in 2012, and applied for nearly 4,800 patents worldwide. The Bosch Group’s products and services are designed to fascinate, and to improve the quality of life by providing solutions which are both innovative and beneficial. In this way, the company offers technology worldwide that is “Invented for life.”

The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as “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 is available online at www.bosch.com and www.bosch-press.com, http://twitter.com/BoschPresse.

PI8229 - 01. August 2013