Bosch remains innovative

Bosch remains innovative

In the 2023 financial year, Bosch almost reached the previous year's level with sales on the Austrian market of around 1.4 billion. “After an overall excellent start to 2023, we had to deal with market weakness in parts of our business areas in the second half of 2023,” said Helmut Weinwurm, CEO of Robert Bosch AG and representative of the Bosch Group in Austria. The number of employees at Bosch in Austria was 3,276 in the reporting year, around 5 percent more than in the previous year. “The increase in personnel once again took place primarily in the area of ​​research and development,” explained the Bosch manager. “Austria has further established itself as an important engineering location within the Bosch Group.” The company is celebrating its 125th anniversary in the country this year.

Bosch continued important future projects in Austria in 2023. Around 190 million euros flowed into research and development. “With a research quota of around 14 percent, Bosch plays in the absolute top league of R&D in Austria,” emphasized Weinwurm. In addition, the company made investments of 22 million euros in Austria in 2023. For example, investments were made in the infrastructure at the Hallein production site and in the expansion of the hydrogen infrastructure at the Linz Engineering Center. “And we continue to invest aggressively in future technologies, in technologies that are important for life,” explained the Bosch manager. Bosch is also pushing forward several hydrogen projects in Austria for global use - from electrolysis stacks, the central element in hydrogen production, to software and hardware solutions for fuel cell drives in cars, to hydrogen-compatible industrial boilers and hydraulic compressor drives for hydrogen filling stations, as well as a new generation of large engine injection systems for alternative fuels. In addition, numerous other engineering projects in the field of mobility technology are being implemented at Bosch in Austria - for example software and hardware development for all types of drives, networked mobility solutions, electrical/electronic architectures in modern vehicles and so-called “SoC” (Systems on Chip) for automotive radar systems.

The fact that Bosch is focusing on the right future topics in mobility is confirmed by the results of a representative survey for which 1,157 people aged 18 and over in Austria were surveyed online on behalf of Robert Bosch AG in March and April of this year by AIT, the Austrian Institute of Technology. The majority of those surveyed see innovative technologies as making a positive contribution to traffic safety (72 percent), personal comfort (67 percent) and climate protection (59 percent). More than two thirds of those surveyed (68 percent) would use at least partially autonomous driving if it were available and affordable - autonomous driving primarily in traffic jams, for getting in and out of parking spaces and when looking for a parking space. Benefits are seen by networking vehicles with each other and with the infrastructure, especially in increased safety through real-time communication, in smoother traffic and in greater time savings by, for example, avoiding traffic jams. Men tend to be more open to vehicle networking than women. A full 90 percent of 18 to 24 year olds are clearly convinced of the advantages of connecting vehicles.

Bosch's sales development in Austria varied across sectors in the previous year. The Mobility division recorded a respectable increase in sales in the 2023 financial year. Business with eBike Systems and with products and services from the mobility aftermarket sector developed particularly well. Injection systems for large engines and exhaust gas aftertreatment systems from the Bosch plant in Hallein also enjoyed strong sales in 2023 despite difficult conditions. In the Industrial Technology division, Bosch achieved a moderate increase in sales in Austria in 2023. After a very good first half of 2023, the mechanical engineering industry felt the general downward economic trend. In the Consumer Goods division, both Power Tools' power tools business and BSH's household appliances business were hit by strong reluctance from Austrian consumers. Overall, sales here were significantly below the previous year. Consumers were also cautious due to economic uncertainty and were burdened by inflation. Added to this is the weak development of the construction industry. The Energy and Building Technology division, on the other hand, increased its sales significantly. The Bosch and Buderus brands were able to gain market share, particularly in the area of ​​heat pumps and gas condensing boilers. There was also another positive development in industrial boilers for hot water and steam in the output range up to 38 MW. Many of the boilers are manufactured at the Bosch factory in Bischofshofen.

Bosch's prospects in Austria for the current year remain cautious, even given the current economic backdrop. “The current financial year will be at least as challenging as 2023. Economic tailwinds are not expected,” said Weinwurm. The company therefore expects global vehicle production to stagnate in 2024, a continued weak mechanical engineering market and a declining construction industry. In the first quarter of this year, the Bosch Group's sales on the Austrian market were significantly below the previous year's level. Given the many uncertainties, the company did not provide any forecast for the year as a whole. In any case, Bosch continues to focus on growth in its core business of mobility: this year alone, around 30 series projects for electric vehicles are starting. In the growth area of ​​hydrogen, Bosch reiterates its business expectations: by 2030, sales of hydrogen technology are expected to reach five billion euros.