Bosch Worldwide

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In the areas of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology, some 280,000 associates generated sales of 45.1 billion euros in fiscal 2008. The company originated as "Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering" founded in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942). Just a few years after the foundation of the company, the first sales offices were opened in London and Paris. Today, the Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its more than 300 subsidiaries and regional companies in over 60 countries. Of its 291 manufacturing sites, 225 are located outside Germany.

To preserve its technologically leading position, Bosch spends considerable sums for research and development every year. In 2008, its research and development expenditure came to 3.9 billion euros, or 8.6 percent of sales. Its most research-intensive business sector is Automotive Technology, whose research and development expenditure comes to 3.2 billion euros, or roughly twelve percent of sales. Throughout the world, more than 32,500 associates are involved in research and development for the Bosch Group, 18,300 of them in Germany. The company's technological competence is also manifested in its large number of patents: with more than 3,850 inventions, Bosch was the most prolific patent applicant in Germany in 2008. In the field of automotive technology, Bosch ranks second in the world when it comes to the number of patents.

Apart from investments in research and development, Bosch spent 3.2 billion euros on acquisitions in 2008, while its capital expenditure came to 3.3 billion euros. In all, therefore, some ten billion euros were invested in the future of the company.

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.

Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH carries on the social commitment and endeavors of the company founder in contemporary form. Up to 2008, some 900 million euros had been donated for charitable purposes. The areas supported by the foundation include science, health and humanitarian aid, international understanding, and youth, education, society, and culture. The Stiftung's international activities are focused on the U.S., Europe, Turkey, the CIS states, China, India, and Japan.

• Overview
• Bosch Business Areas and Group Companies in Japan
• Trademark: Bosch Anker
• Corporate Slogan "Invented for life"
• The Bosch Group - Key data at a glance

Additional information can be accessed at www.bosch.com.