Bosch expands its presence in Africa with the opening of two new branch offices in Angola and Mozambique

Expanding the company’s international presenceBosch steps up activities in AfricaNew branch offices in Angola and Mozambique

• Increasing significance of Africa as major growth market
• Growing middle class, well-educated young people, and an abundance of raw materials point toward positive development for many African countries
• Two further locations in Algeria and Ghana planned by end of 2014

Stuttgart, 5-11-2014 — /EuropaWire/ — Bosch is steadily expanding its presence in Africa. The supplier of technology and services opened two new African branch offices at the end of October 2014 – one in Luanda, the capital of Angola, and the other in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. This brings the total number of African countries in which Bosch has a regional subsidiary or branch office to seven. These will soon be joined by Algeria and Ghana, where the company is opening two new locations by the end of this year. These activities underline Africa’s growing significance as an important growth market for Bosch: “The growing middle class, ever more well-educated young people, the continent’s wealth of raw materials – all these point toward positive economic development for many African countries,” said Bosch management board member Uwe Raschke. This makes the region attractive for Bosch, he explained. “We can contribute to improving quality of life for local people with our products and services. In this respect, we are concentrating on the needs and demands of the individual markets and of our local customers,” Raschke said.

The new branch offices in Angola and Mozambique will initially focus on the sale of automotive spare parts, workshop concepts, power tools, security systems, and thermotechnology. In the future, though, machinery for the safe and resource-conserving packaging of pharmaceutical products and foodstuffs such as rice and flour will also be offered. The expansion of local know-how is also an important concern for Bosch. For instance, the company offers training for local automotive workshops. These are often jointly conducted with local partners, such as automobile associations or other institutions.

Bosch in Africa
Bosch has been present in Africa since 1906. The company’s more than 600 associates in Africa generated total sales of some 340 million euros in 2013. The focus of the company’s activities is currently South Africa, where there are two manufacturing sites, in Brits and Midrand. They primarily manufacture automotive components and assemble packaging machinery. Bosch has further regional subsidiaries and branch offices inEgypt, Morocco, Kenya, and Nigera. In addition, the company’s subsidiary Bosch Rexroth has held a 50 percent stake in its sales partner Hytec Holding since the beginning of October 2014, making it one of the leading manufacturers of hydraulics and drive and control technology in Africa.

Bosch also actively promotes talented young people in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2008, it was one of the initiators of Afrika kommt!, an initiative of German industry for junior managers from sub-Saharan Africa. Since 2008, Bosch has been part of a group of some 20 companies who offer scholarships to African junior executives so that they can spend a year in Germany completing a professional training program. The goal of the program is to foster mutual exchange and learning between budding African executives and German companies.

Contact persons for press inquiries:
Melita Delic, Phone: +49 711 811-48617
Trix Böhne, Phone: +49 711 811-6831

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In 2013, its roughly 281,000 associates generated sales of 46.1 billion euros. (NB: Due to a change in accounting policies, the 2013 figures can only be compared to a limited extent with the 2012 figures). Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility Solutions, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 360 subsidiaries and regional companies in some 50 countries. If its sales and service partners are included, then Bosch is represented in roughly 150 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. In 2013, the Bosch Group invested some 4.5 billion euros in research and development and applied for some 5,000 patents. This is an average of 20 patents per day. The Bosch Group’s products and services are designed to fascinate, and to improve the quality of life by providing solutions which are both innovative and beneficial. In this way, the company offers technology worldwide that is “Invented for life.”

The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering.” The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future. 92 percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, an industrial trust. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by the trust. The remaining shares are held by the Bosch family and by Robert Bosch GmbH.

Additional information is available online at www.bosch.com and www.bosch-press.com, http://twitter.com/BoschPresse.

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