Robert Bosch GmbH, or Bosch, is a German multinational engineering and electronics company headquartered in Gerlingen, near Stuttgart, Germany. It is the world’s largest supplier of automotive components measured by 2011 revenues. The company was founded by Robert Bosch in Stuttgart in 1886.
Bosch’s core products are automotive components (including brakes, controls, electrical drives, electronics, fuel systems, generators, starter motors and steering systems), industrial products (including drives and controls, packaging technology and consumer goods) and building products (including household appliances, power tools, security systems and thermotechnology).
Bosch has more than 350 subsidiaries across over 60 countries and its products are sold in around 150 countries. Bosch employs around 306,000 people and had revenues of approximately €52.5 billion in 2012. In 2012 it invested around €4.8 billion in research and development and applied for around 4,800 patents worldwide. In 2009 Bosch was the leader in terms of numbers of patents at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (GPTO) with 3,213 patents.
However, Bosch continued to extend its international footprint through company acquisitions and investments in new plants, and will continue along with this path in 2013. For example, the Bosch Group is planning to set up a manufacturing site for automotive windshield-wiper systems near Belgrade, Serbia. By 2019 some 70 million euros will be invested. Construction work was set to begin in early 2012, with production due to commence at the start of 2013. Initially, some 60 associates will work in manufacturing operations with a floor area of around 22,000 square meters. By 2019 the number of associates is set to rise to some 620. Its objectives are to achieve a better increase in sales than in 2012 and to improve result significantly.
Robert Bosch GmbH is privately owned, and 92% of its share capital 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 remaining shares are held by the Bosch family and by Robert Bosch GmbH. The Bosch logo represents a simple magneto armature and casing, one of the company’s first products.