Bosch to invest Rs 650 crore in 2015 in India

Bosch to invest Rs 650 crore in 2015 in India

Bosch, the German automotive major, on Tuesday said it plans to invest Rs 650 crores (over 100 million euros) in India in 2015. “India is a key location in our global innovation network. To further strengthen our presence in the country, we plan to invest INR 650 crores (over 100 million euros) in 2015,” said Peter Tyroller, the member of the Bosch board of management responsible for Asia Pacific.

Over the medium and long-term, the company expects to see positive development in India. “The Indian government is systematically addressing key issues. We are confident that this will positively impact the country’s development,” said Dr. Steffen Berns, president of the Bosch Group in India. “Especially in areas such as mobility, infrastructure, industry, energy and security, there are many opportunities for our products and solutions. The field of smart manufacturing also opens up possibilities for Bosch in India,” Berns said.

Bosch implements smart manufacturing in India

Bosch is a leading global provider and exponent of connected industry, or “Industry 4.0.” The supplier of technology and services offers a broad range of solutions such as drives, automation, sensors, software, and predictive maintenance. “By 2018, we aim to implement connected production in all our 14 manufacturing locations across the country,” Berns said during the delegation’s visit. Industry 4.0 is already reality at several Bosch plants in India: In Bangalore, the company uses real-time data to shorten throughput times for the calibration of pumps for tractors. The location also provides associates with smartwatches that promptly notify them of a machine malfunction. Thanks to real-time monitoring, manufacturing downtimes can be prevented and productivity improved. In September 2015, production started at the new automotive-component plant in Bidadi, where Bosch applies connected industry principles to optimize manufacturing processes.

Outstanding competence of Bosch India’s software engineers

Indian engineers’ outstanding software engineering competence plays a key role in making connected industry reality. Bosch’s largest development center outside Germany is located in Bangalore and Coimbatore in southern India, and has over 12,000 research and development associates. One of the center’s areas of focus is on developing solutions for connected industry. Since 2014, the development center in Bangalore has also been focusing on big data analytics – an important enabler for connected manufacturing. Another application of data analytics is “e-call modeling.” This estimates the probability of injury severity based on real-time vehicle, accident, and environment information. This information can be used by emergency service providers to prioritize the type of ambulance service needed to reach an accident location. To develop the solution, data-mining techniques were used to analyze automobile accident data collected by various government agencies.

Another innovation developed by the Bangalore-based development center is a compact retina camera. Its special software can detect medical conditions such as cataracts at an early stage. This light and cost-effective eye diagnostic tool was specifically designed to meet the needs of the Indian market, but can equally well be used in other, similar regions. In emerging markets such as India, Bosch focuses on products and solutions which are tailored to the local market. “We develop innovative solutions in India which are used in products around the world,” Steffen Berns said.

High demand for skills development in India

With 29,000 associates across India, Bosch is an important employer in the country. In 1961, Bosch brought the dual education approach to India and opened the Bosch Vocational Center (BVC) in Bangalore. Since it was founded in 1961, the BVC has trained over 2,500 apprentices in nine trades. On their tour of the Bosch vocational training center, Chancellor Merkel and Prime Minister Modi were given insights into the Bosch Group’s activities in vocational training, and in particular how it trains young people in India for technical trades. The BVC is recognized by the Indian government’s National Council for Vocational Training, and has received the Indian president’s “Best Establishment” award 50 times. Some 230 Bosch apprentices have won gold medals in various All India Apprentices Skill Completion competitions conducted by the Indian government.

As one of its many Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities, Bosch has developed and deployed two-month training programs to provide basic skills to school drop-outs, including train-the-trainer programs. Besides other approaches, so far Bosch has signed MOU’s with the state governments of Karnataka and Maharashtra to start this program in 50 technical institutes (ITI’s), furthermore Bosh has received an in principle agreement from the state of Rajasthan to start the BRIDGE program govt. it is. In the past two years since its inception, more than 2,500 young people have been trained, and all of them have subsequently found employment in different industries and companies. “This program has proved to be highly successful and effective, and will be further scaled up and expanded”, said Soumitra Bhattacharya, joint managing director, Bosch Limited.

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