OREANDA-NEWS. February 06, 2014. The Bosch Group is further expanding its business in India. This year, the supplier of technology and services intends to invest some 160 million euros in extending its locations in the country. The investments will focus on extending existing manufacturing sites and research and development facilities.

The company announced this at today’s official opening of the new Bosch research center in Bangalore. “India will continue to play a key role for the Bosch Group, even if the next few years will present a few challenges given the recent drop in automotive sales in the country,” said Peter Tyroller, the Bosch management board member responsible for Asia Pacific.

The Research and Technology Center (RTC) Bangalore will focus on the development of connected technologies for the internet of things and services. Other focal points will be methods and tools for the efficient design of software-intensive systems, as well as image processing. The research center is part of the Bosch Group’s second largest development site, employing 10,500 researchers and engineers. One example of the effectiveness of localized development is the two-wheeler engine management system developed for the Indian market. This is now available in Europe as well. Customers from around the world will be able to see such innovations for themselves at a separate Bosch event.

Expansion of Indian manufacturing facilities

Over the past two years, the Bosch Group has increased its presence in India. In 2013, its subsidiary Bosch Rexroth opened a new plant in Ahmedabad. And, as India’s largest automotive supplier, Bosch has expanded its manufacturing facility for automotive parts in Chennai. Chennai is also the site of a new Bosch und Siemens Hausgerate plant, currently under construction. In 2012, Bosch opened a new, larger manufacturing facility for packaging machinery in Verna and a manufacturing facility for heating systems in Kumbalgodu. By 2015, a diesel plant will have been moved from Adugodi in the center of Bangalore to a larger site in Bidadi, roughly 30 kilometers away. In the future, the existing Adugodi location will be used for administrative purposes as well as for research and development work.

Bosch in India

Bosch has been present in India since 1922. The company currently employs some 26,000 associates at 10 manufacturing sites and 7 research and development locations in the country. The leading global supplier of technology and services is well positioned in India. Its four business sectors Automotive Technology, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology are all present in the country. In 2012, Bosch generated sales of 1.5 billion euros in India. Over the medium-to-long term, the company expects stable growth in the region.