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Bosch, leading global supplier of technology and services, completed fiscal 2018 in Belgium with consolidated sales of 812 million euros. “Despite a challenging market situation, Bosch realised some great projects in Belgium last year,” said Heiko Carrie, President Robert Bosch France-Benelux. Robert Bosch Produktie in Tienen was awarded Factory of the Future and Bosch Rexroth was one of the first companies to join Flanders Make's Smart Factory Benelux initiative. “We continue to invest in our plants and in our associates to drive the development of new products and solutions,” said Carrie. Bosch invested €7.9 million in Belgium in 2018. “Despite the difficult conditions, the company expects the results for this year to be slightly higher than in 2018,” says Carrie.
Education and training play an important role in this at Bosch in Belgium. Several projects are running that give employees the time and space to take new initiatives. At Bosch Thermotechnology in Mechelen, for example, there was the #TodayIam campaign, in which two associates swapped jobs for a day and thus got to know and appreciate each other's work better. At Robert Bosch Produktie in Tienen, associates get the chance to work on new projects for several hours each week. Around 1,500 associates work at Bosch in Belgium.
“I am also very proud of the brand new Bosch Climate and Buderus Training Academy in Mechelen, where installers can attend training courses on the latest products and trends in the world of thermal engineering,” says Heiko Carrie. Bosch also has an Automotive Training Centre in Anderlecht, where garage mechanics can attend training courses. This is Bosch's second training centre in Belgium.
The business sector Mobility Solutions remains a major player in the Belgian market, but recorded a slight decline in 2018. Robert Bosch Produktie N.V. in Tienen was awarded Factory of the Future. Agoria en Sirris present this award annually to Belgian-based manufacturing companies that are achieving smart breakthrough results thanks to strategic transformations. Bosch in Tienen has invested 24 million euros over the past four years in its transformation into a modern factory, where new production lines and innovative IT applications support employees in their daily tasks. Besides wipers and wiper arms, Robert Bosch Produktie N.V. also wants to develop and offer products and services for other markets, such as total solutions in rubber, metalworking, coating and assembly. The wiper blade of the battery-operated window cleaner GlassVAC, is produced based on automotive expertise.
E-bike sales continue to rise in Belgium: 45 per cent of cycling Belgium now rides an electric bike. Many of these e-bikes are equipped with an eBike system from Bosch. The Automotive Aftermarket division maintains a solid position in the Belgian market. The independent Bosch Car Service network again experienced growth and had 150 members at the beginning of 2019. AutoCrew also continues to grow and now has 70 member garages.
The business sector Industrial Technology posted great results in 2018. Bosch Rexroth S.A. in Brussels is increasingly focusing on Industrie 4.0 projects. During Indumation in February 2019, it announced Flanders Make the Smart Factory Benelux initiative. Bosch Rexroth collaborated on the first demonstration factory, which was launched during Indumation was presented. Industry 4.0 is also quietly becoming a reality in hydraulics. CytroBox is a plug-and-play hydraulic unit developed by Bosch Rexroth where both the pump/motor set and the electrical cabinet are in one housing. The CytroBox not only delivers energy savings of 60 to 80 per cent, but is also the missing link between hydraulics and industry 4.0 thanks to its extensive communication capabilities.
Bosch Rexroth also supplied the hydraulic system, including control, for Sarens' new SGC-250 crane. This crane is the largest in the world and can lift 2,000 tonnes over 100 metres in one movement.
The business sector Consumer Goods faced a challenging market situation in 2018. The Bosch Power Tools division introduced X-LOCK, a revolutionary 2-part changeover system to change accessories on angle grinders with just one click. Bosch Power Tools also continues to expand its range of cordless tools in both the professional and DIY segments. For the professional tools, it relies on the extremely powerful ProCore18V batteries. With the Bosch Power for ALL system, many tools of the same volt class can be operated with the same battery. This system is also applicable for garden tools and even some household appliances.
BSH Home Appliances N.V. is introducing more and more smart appliances, including the i-DOS washing machine. I-DOS is Bosch's intelligent automatic dosing system: it weighs the amount of laundry and scans the textile type, while sensors measure how dirty the laundry is based on the rinse water. Based on this information, the right amount of water and detergent is determined and the entire washing process is carried out optimally. In addition to smart appliances, smart services are also offered. Belgium, for instance, introduced Papillon, a project on circular economy with a social dimension. Through Papillon, less well-off families can rent Bosch household appliances (washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, freezers and dishwashers) for a low monthly fee per appliance. Service and warranty are included in the rental contract, and after the rental period the appliances return to Bosch for reuse or recycling.
Business sector results Energy and Building Technology remained stable. The Bosch Building Technologies division managed to complete some great projects in 2018. For example, during the NATO summit converted the site of the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels into a temporary conference venue with the DICENTIS Conference System in July 2018. The Bosch system met the high standard of usability and security for this important and highly sensitive event. Spread over three halls, a total of 38 multimedia devices were implemented for the world leaders, another 38 for the foreign ministers and 38 touchscreen DICENTIS meeting stations for the defence ministers. Each of the three rooms were equipped with six OMNEO interfaces and 20 DICENTIS interpreting stations.
The Bosch Thermotechnology division remains a strong player in Belgium. After Bosch Thermotechnology S.A. merged all its administrative branches in Belgium into a new premises in Mechelen in 2017, the new central distribution centre was also opened in mid-2018. The warehouse serves all sanitary and heating wholesalers in Belgium. Its central location and new technologies allow for even faster delivery. In 2019, the Bosch Climate and Buderus Training Academy will also open its doors. Installers will be able to receive further training there on the latest technologies and products from Bosch and Buderus. With a view to saving energy, a combined heat and power (CHP) was delivered to the Catholic University of Leuven. This CHP provides heat and electricity generation for the university's gymnasium, swimming pool and sports hall. During the night, the university building and surrounding buildings are fully powered by the CHP.
For the current year, the Bosch Group expects only moderate economic growth. Despite difficult conditions in sectors and regions important to Bosch, the company is counting on slightly higher sales in 2019 than in 2018. Despite the short-term outlook, the Bosch Group is stepping up its efforts to protect the climate and improve air quality. “Climate change is not science fiction. It is in full swing. If we take the Paris climate agreement seriously, we must not see climate protection merely as a long-term goal. It has to happen in the short term,” said Dr Volkmar Denner, CEO of Robert Bosch GmbH, CEO of Robert Bosch GmbH, following the annual press conference on financial results. “We are also committed to people's desire for good air quality in cities. As a leading innovative company, we want to provide technical solutions to environmental issues.”
Bosch is therefore stepping up its already successful efforts to reduce CO2 emissions. “We are the first major industrial company to achieve the ambitious CO2 neutrality target in just over one year,” says Denner. “All 400 Bosch sites around the world will be climate neutral from 2020.” In addition, Bosch is also pursuing an ambitious air quality target: “We want to reduce air pollution caused by traffic to zero. To do this, we are looking beyond the bonnet,” Denner said. To achieve this, the company is focusing on three pillars: Bosch develops emission-free drive technologies, carries out projects with municipalities to promote traffic flows and applies mobility management at its own sites.
