The Bosch Group sees strong signs of recovery in the Indian market and forecasts a positive development over the mid-term: “The Indian economy is on the rise again and holds tremendous potential”, says Dr Volkmar Denner, the chairman of the board of management of the Bosch Group during his visit to India. In 2017, the leading global technology and services company posted strong double-digit growth as sales went up of 15.4 percent to 2.2 billion euros. With a projected 7.7 percent GDP-growth for the Indian economy in 2018 and a similar level for the coming years, Bosch expects to continue with its momentum. Main contributors are the development of the local automotive industry, which holds opportunities for Diesel technology, electromobility and connected mobility as well as the government initiatives for connected manufacturing and connected cities. “To meet the rising demand in the Indian market with tailored solutions and expand India’s strong role in our global network, we will invest 17,000 million rupees (220 million euros) over the next three years”, announced Denner. A major share of this will be used to expand Bosch’s smart campus in Adugodi and modernize manufacturing facilities in the country.
New business division Connected Mobility Solutions drives growth in India
Another field of growth in India’s thriving automotive industry is the rising demand for connected mobility. Bosch continues to drive forward its transformation into a provider of mobility services. The company recently established a Connected Mobility Solutions division to develop and sell digital mobility services. “Connectivity will fundamentally change how we get from A to B, and in the process it will help to solve today’s traffic problems. We are using it to realize our vision of emissions-free, stress-free, and accident-free mobility,” said Volkmar Denner.
In India, the new business division will work to develop a global telematics platform that will be enabled and operated by local engineering talent. This platform will help Bosch to better serve its customer base in India with effective solutions designed for effective mobility. The key offerings will include vehicle sharing, ridesharing, and connectivity-based services for car drivers.
India one of the three locations of Bosch Center for Artificial Intelligence
Around 18,000 out of Bosch’s 31,000 associates in India work in research and development (R&D). This underlines India’s importance for the Bosch Group’s global network as more and more innovations are coming out of the country into the world. India also plays a significant role when it comes to Artificial Intelligence (AI). “Most of the products in the near future will be linked to artificial intelligence. These products will either possess that intelligence themselves, or AI will play a key role in their development or manufacture,” said Mr. Denner. In 2017, the company invested 300 million euros into its Bosch Center for Artificial intelligence (BCAI) across three continents – one of the main locations being in Bengaluru, India – next to centers in Sunnyvale, U.S. and Renningen, Germany. Additionally, Bosch in India has also partnered with IIT-Madras and set up a Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at IIT- M with a fund of 4 crore per year for 5 years. It will set a precedent in the way big-data is used to improve our problem-solving capability in the industry. At the same time, the collaboration will result in shared outcomes for the benefit of society.
