Semiconductor and micromachined chips from Reutlingen are used above all in the automobile industry. As components in electronic control units, they form the 'central nervous system' of many functions in a vehicle, including electronic safety systems such as ABS and ESP as well as airbags, fuel-efficient and clean engines with electronic engine management, or modern driver assistance systems. On average, between 100 and 200 application-specific microchips are installed in a middle or luxury-class vehicle. 'We anticipate that the semiconductor market for automotive applications will grow by an average of ten percent per year in the medium term,' said Dr Bernd Bohr, member of the Bosch Board of Management and Chairman of the Automotive Group. In addition, the company is opening up additional marketing channels, especially in consumer electronics, via its recently founded subsidiary Bosch Sensortec. In total, some 800 jobs will be created in the new 200 millimetre semiconductor manufacturing facility by 2012. The company will be able to cover most of its requirements for qualified personnel internally - drawing especially on associates from a nearby facility.

Reutlingen: precision technology, high volumes

The new 200 millimetre wafer fabrication plant in Reutlingen will be mainly geared to a 'small power process.' In this technology, integrated circuits combine on one chip highly sensitive signal processing and high voltage circuits for the control of high-performance actuators. These chips have to work reliably even under the especially tough thermal and mechanical loads experienced during automobile operation. The technology applied here uses ultra-fine structures, which are deposited on the chips. In the initial stages, these structures will be 0.35 micrometres wide - far less than one hundredth of the diameter of a human hair. At a later stage, Bosch plans to halve structure width to 0.18 micrometres. Precision such as this makes extremely high demands of manufacturing technology. In addition, MEMS technologies are also to be rolled out in the 200 millimetre wafer fabrication plant, manufacturing micromechanical sensors that are used above all in the automobile,  but also in mobile phones, handhelds, or games consoles. With this move, Bosch is ensuring that it will be able to draw on the most advanced manufacturing technology in this growth market for many years to come.

Reutlingen is where the Bosch Automotive Electronics division is based, and is its most important development and manufacturing site for a large number of electronic components. The site is of great importance within the global manufacturing network as a pilot plant for innovative products such as driver assistance systems. Bosch employs approximately 7,000 associates at three sites in Reutlingen, including 240 apprentices undergoing technical and commercial vocational training.

Bosch media enquiries:

Chris Wakley/David Eden, Automotive PR, Tel: 0207 494 8050, E-mail:cwakley@automotivepr.com/deden@automotivepr.com

Bosch OE enquiries:

Beverley Daniels, Communications Manager, Robert Bosch Ltd, Tel: 01895 878155, E-mail: beverley.daniels@uk.bosch.com