14th Bosch Global Supplier Award: 58 suppliers from 11 countries recognized with the “Bosch Global Supplier Award 2015″

14th Bosch Global Supplier Award
More options thanks to connected supply chains

• Awards for 58 suppliers from eleven countries
• Bosch CEO Denner: “Strong, long-term partnerships with our suppliers are the bedrock of our success in the connected world.”
• Many repeat winners

Stuttgart, 17-7-2015 — /EuropaWire/ — The Bosch Group has recognized its top suppliers with the “Bosch Global Supplier Award 2015.” This is the 14th time that Bosch has given out global supplier awards. This year, the supplier of technology and services honored 58 suppliers from eleven countries. By presenting this award, the company recognizes outstanding performance in the manufacture and supply of products or services – notably in the areas of quality, costs, logistics, and innovations. “The Bosch Global Supplier Award honors our top suppliers, who play such a key role in Bosch’s success,” said Dr. Volkmar Denner, chairman of the Bosch board of management, at the award ceremony in Stuttgart. “Our suppliers are important partners in helping us shape the connected world. We want to work with them to develop beneficial solutions for our customers.” The theme of this year’s award ceremony was “Power of partnership – connected intelligence.” Bosch continues to believe that long-term partnerships and the early involvement of suppliers are the key to success.

Many repeat winners
Bosch works with some 35,000 suppliers worldwide, and this year the company has chosen to honor the top 58 with the award. Three suppliers are winners for at least the eleventh time, while seven companies have now won the award for at least the fifth time. Almost half the companies honored are headquartered outside Germany, and one-quarter of those are located in Asia. Dr. Stefan Asenkerschbaumer, deputy chairman of the Bosch board of management, used the award ceremony as a chance to express Bosch’s appreciation of its suppliers: “Our successful collaboration with our partners is an important factor in our business success. It plays a vital role in Bosch’s ability to compete and innovate.”

Long-term alliances – drivers of connected solutions
Web-enabled products and internet-based services form one of the cornerstones of Bosch’s future sales growth. Volkmar Denner is convinced that customer focus and customer benefit are crucial for success on the internet of things. This, he says, makes it all the more important to have competitive and connected supply chains. “Our goal is to achieve supply-chain excellence,” Denner says. Strong, long-term partnerships with suppliers are essential to that goal, and are also key drivers of networked solutions. “Trust, transparency, agility, quality, delivery capability, and competitive prices are at the core of our collaboration with our suppliers.”

Getting suppliers involved early
Bosch now wants to involve its suppliers even earlier in the product creation process, and to work with them to develop solutions for the connected world. “In this context, connectivity is by no means only a subject for Bosch. It encompasses the entire value-added chain,” Asenkerschbaumer said. “We will only remain competitive if we all systematically embrace further connectivity.” For this reason, Bosch recognizes particularly forward-looking projects with a supplier award in the “Innovations” category. This year, the winners were IMS Gear GmbH, Infineon Technologies AG, and 4flow. Based in Berlin, 4flow received an award for its support in the development of a globally standardized transport management system. Bosch is using new processes and systems developed by 4flow to organize its worldwide road transport operations even more efficiently and economically.

Further internationalization of supplier base
In 2014, the Bosch Group’s purchasing volume came to some 25 billion euros. Europe still accounts for the lion’s share, at roughly 60 percent of the global purchasing volume. Outside Europe, procurement is centered on China, the U.S., and Japan. Procurement mainly involves production materials such as turned parts, electronic components, and pressed, drawn, bent, or plastic parts. It also includes commodities, operating equipment, services, and capital goods. In growth markets such as China, collaborating with local suppliers is key in assuring the continued growth of the Bosch Group.

Note: A list of all the award winners can be found here.

Video materials:
Industry 4.0 – Manufacturing and logistics
Virtual depiction of the supply chain

Contact person for press inquiries
Nicole Neuer, Phone: +49 711 811-11390

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 360,000 associates worldwide (as per April 1, 2015). The company generated sales of 49 billion euros in 2014.* 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 440 subsidiary and regional companies in some 60 countries. Including its sales and service partners, Bosch is represented in roughly 150 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. In 2014, Bosch applied for some 4,600 patents worldwide. The Bosch Group’s strategic objective is to create solutions for a connected life. Bosch improves quality of life worldwide with products and services that are innovative and spark enthusiasm. In short, Bosch creates technology 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. Ninety-two 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.

*The sales figure disclosed for 2014 does not include the former joint ventures BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH (now BSH Hausgeräte GmbH) and ZF Lenksysteme GmbH (now Robert Bosch Automotive Steering GmbH), which have since been taken over completely.

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14. Bosch Global Supplier Award 2015
Prof. Dr. Karl Nowak, President Corporate Sector Purchasing and Logistics Robert Bosch GmbH, at the award ceremony of the ”Bosch Global Supplier Award 2015” in Stuttgart.