• Significant expansion of manufacturing facilities for automotive products in Changsha and Suzhou
• Bosch sees good opportunities for clean diesel and for the ESP and ABS safety systems

The Bosch Group is continuing to strengthen its activities in China. The company is significantly extending two manufacturing facilities for automotive technology. In total, it is investing €160 million for this. In Changsha, Bosch will be spending approximately €60 million between now and 2008, in order to create new facilities for the development and manufacture of products such as starters and alternators. Following the extension work, the site will have doubled in size to more than 210,000 square metres. Over the same period, some €100 million will be invested in the production of electronic control units for airbags, ABS and ESP in Suzhou. All in all, the extension work will create more than 1,300 new jobs. “In China, demand for high-quality automotive products is increasing dramatically. In response to this, we are significantly expanding our presence at sites where we are close to our customers,” said Dr. Rudolf Colm, member of the Bosch Board of Management responsible for Asia Pacific.

The extension work is part of a comprehensive investment programme. Between 2006 and 2008, Bosch intends to invest some €620 million in the People’s Republic of China. Most of this sum has been earmarked for the establishment and expansion of development and manufacturing facilities for automotive original equipment.  As early as 2004, the company opened a new ‘engineering centre’ in Suzhou, covering an area of 200,000 square metres. In total, Bosch has so far invested €50 million in this facility. ”Our aim is to develop more and more products in China that are tailored to the requirements of our local customers,” said Dr. Volkmar Denner, member of the Bosch Board of Management responsible for Automotive Electronics and Energy and Body Systems.

In introducing advanced diesel system, Bosch is also supporting the Chinese government’s aim of reducing emissions and conserving resources. In addition, the company believes that the need for safety will be a further main area of growth in China. Here, Bosch products such as ABS and ESP can increasingly contribute to improved safety standards.

Bosch is represented in China with a holding company in Shanghai, 14 subsidiaries of its own, and six joint ventures. The company manufactures here at 20 sites, sells its products via six trading companies, and supports more than 400 Bosch Service Centres. According to IFRS reporting standards, sales revenue of the Bosch Group in China came to roughly €1 billion in 2005. The company employs some 14,000 associates in the country.

Bosch media enquiries:
Chris Wakley / David Eden
Automotive PR
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7494 8050
Email: cwakley@automotivepr.com / deden@automotivepr.com

Bosch OE enquiries:
Beverley Daniels
Communications Manager
Robert Bosch Limited
Tel: +44 (0) 1895 878155
Email: beverley.daniels@uk.bosch.com

About Bosch
The Bosch Group is the world’s largest provider of automotive technology to all leading vehicle and component manufacturers. 

In 2005, the company generated automotive sales of €26 billion and employs 158,000 people in this sector.  The key business areas include: fuel injection technology (diesel & petrol); systems for active and passive vehicle safety (brakes, ABS, traction control, ESP, control units for restraint systems); electrical motors, rotating electrics and products for car multimedia.