Auto parts’ maker Bosch plans to hire 3,500 engineers across its centres in India during this year.

At a press conference held after the inauguration of the first phase of Bosch’s new R&D centre built with an investment of $50 million, Steffen Berns, President, Bosch Group India and Managing Director, Bosch, said that the second phase will be built with an investment of $150 million. This centre is the largest outside Germany.

“The two newly inaugurated buildings in Adugodi have state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and accommodates over 3,000 associates. Adugodi will house the majority of the local development – including R&D centres of Bosch Ltd, Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions and Bosch Home Appliances,” Berns said.

“Bosch sees immense growth potential in India. The inauguration underscores our commitment to the country,” said Peter Tyroller, member of the board of management of the Bosch Group responsible for the Asia-Pacific region, during the inauguration.

Engineers at the facility work on key topics such as driver assistance and passive safety, active safety, anti-lock braking system (ABS) and electronic stability program (ESP), and hardware development. Other areas of focus include big data and software solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT).

At the locations in Adugodi, Bengaluru, and in Coimbatore, the company employs over 14,000 research and development associates. This makes India an important hub for Bosch’s global R&D network.

This role will further increase with the expansion of the Adugodi facility – as increasingly Bosch’s leading edge in technology is the result of a “local for global” exchange of findings and experience, he said.

“We provide our associates with resource and facilities that will aid them in improving the quality of innovation,” said Vijay Ratnaparkhe, Managing Director, Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions.

Cautious outlook



Berns said that Bosch is “cautiously optimistic’’ about the Indian auto industry’s prospects for the year. He said there was little clarity regarding the government’s stand on diesel.

He also pointed out that while in the long term, GST will be beneficial, there were still issues regarding its implementation.