Bosch’s new global and strategic Center for Research and Advance Engineering gets going

Global auto component supplier Bosch’s first researchers and engineers are beginning to move into the Bosch Center for Research and Advance Engineering in Renningen.

Almost two-and-a-half years after the groundbreaking ceremony, some 800 associates are set to start working at the new research campus by the end of 2014. The centre in Renningen will be the hub of Bosch’s global research network. Until now, corporate research and advance engineering activities have been spread out at locations in Gerlingen, Schwieberdingen, and Waiblingen.

With the move of the first 800 out of a total of 1,700 associates, the Bosch location is now officially open for business. By tightening its network of researchers, the global provider of technology and services aims to further enhance its innovative strength. “The new Renningen location will enhance the Bosch Group’s innovative strength. Bosch’s strategic aim is to develop solutions for a connected life. To this end, we are creating an even tighter network of researchers and engineers in Renningen and beyond,” said Dr. Volkmar Denner, the chairman of the Bosch board of management. With its new hub, the research network of the global provider of technology and services will comprise eight locations in six countries from 2015 onward. Bosch is investing some 310 million euros (Rs 2,408 crore) for the new research centre, which is located outside of Stuttgart.

Logistical challenge
By the end of 2014, Bosch researchers will have moved into buildings at the eastern end of the site, as well as into the main building. The buildings on the western half of the site will be completed in the first quarter of 2015, at which point associates will be moving in.

The move to the new research campus is gradually taking place over a period of about six months, and involves mastering special logistical challenges. Many of the laboratories and research facilities must be carefully dismantled, packed, transported, and rebuilt for operations in Renningen. In total, some 1,800 machines and technical equipment from 270 laboratories are being moved from existing locations to Renningen. By early summer 2015, more than 12,000 boxes will be moved to the new research campus.

“For the first time, Bosch is pooling its research and advance engineering activities in the greater Stuttgart region at a single location. This highlights the importance of research at Bosch,” said Dr. Michael Bolle, president of corporate research and advance engineering at Bosch. The new research centre is tailored specifically to the needs of researchers. Based on the concept of a university campus, the buildings are generously spread out across a large site. The specially developed office concept offers an attractive work environment that promotes creativity and cooperation. “The interior design of the buildings and the floor plan reflect our innovation process. For each phase of this process, our associates will have ideal working conditions,” Bolle said. Thanks to the close proximity of office spaces to workshops and laboratories, researchers can put their ideas to the test without delay.

A powerhouse of innovation – 20 patents per working day
In 2013, Bosch filed a total of 4,964 patents, an average of 20 per working day. This makes the company one of the world’s top ranking in terms of patent applications. Last year, the global provider of technology and services spent 4.5 billion euros (Rs 34,960 crore on R&D, almost 10 percent of its sales. The company currently employs some 42,700 researchers and engineers. At locations around the world, some 1,300 associates work for the company’s corporate research and advance engineering department.

Photograph: Almost two-and-a-half years after the groundbreaking ceremony, some 800 associates are set to start working at the new research campus at Renningen, Germany, by the end of 2014