OREANDA-NEWS. Effective January 1, 2016, Bosch plans to set up a new division, Bosch Global Service Solutions (SO). It will bring together all the internal and external services offered by the company. As well as continuing successful services such as eCall, customer support, and business process outsourcing, SO will also become the comprehensive Bosch-internal provider of shared service functions relating to administration and sales. The division will emerge from the Service Solutions business unit, which is run by Bosch Sicherheitssysteme GmbH and headquartered in Frankfurt. At a later date, it is to be carved out as an independent legal entity. This organizational change will not affect associates’ terms of employment. “In light of rapidly changing markets, and especially of the accelerated technological change brought about by the internet of things, Bosch will further expand its services portfolio,” says Dr. Stefan Hartung, the member of the Bosch board of management. The Service Solutions business unit has developed very well in recent years, posting continuous double-digit growth. Worldwide, it creates some 500 new jobs each year. In total, the unit currently employs some 5,000 associates.

Focus of the internal and external portfolio
Internally, the company hopes this move will help it continuously improve its processes. The global shared services that already exist at Bosch, or are planned for the future, are to be brought together and given a common standard basis. Bosch has already launched a raft of individual shared-service initiatives in areas such as accounting and HR management. The creation of a new division will give rise to new potential for improving service quality and efficiency, as well as for reducing red tape.

At the same time, the new division’s task will be to further expand its portfolio of services for external customers. Apart from various shared-service solutions for transport and buildings, the focus will also be on customer communication and customer support. Here, the company can combine its technical expertise with the proven capability of an experienced control center operator and communication service provider. In the field of transport, for example, Bosch offers the automatic eCall emergency service in ten languages for leading automakers in 27 European countries. Also in the transport sector, it offers CCTV-monitored truck parking spaces at rest areas that can be booked in advance. For buildings, Bosch already offers cloud-based video surveillance that can be connected to a control center that intervenes in response to certain events. Solutions in the area of customer communication and support include the monitoring and smart evaluation of social media platforms, which gives companies effective support with their marketing and sales activities.