By Rusen K
The Bosch Group launched ”Bosch InterCampus programme” with an investment of Rs 300 crore and will expand its support to higher education funding, as part of its Global Anniversary CSR initiative.
No technology company can survive without adequate research facility. Research is continuous process toward achieving product excellence. It is good sign that Global supplier of technology and services Bosch group on June 2, 2011 announced that it would set up a research facility at the premier Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore in this technology hub with an investment of Rs.140 crore. It is one of the big investment plan in research program by any company in the country. It has said that research is the result of advancing knowledge created in the past.
In India, Bosch set up its manufacturing operation in 1953, which has grown over the years grown to include 13 manufacturing sites and four development centres.
Bosch InterCampus Program with IISc for Research works
2011 is a landmark year for the Bosch Group as it is our 125th anniversary year and 150th birth anniversary of its founder Robert Bosch. We therefore have planned several employee, customer and society centric events to celebrate this dual anniversary.
As part of its Global Anniversary CSR initiative, Bosch Group is expanding its higher education funding and launching the “Bosch InterCampus Program” with an investment of 50 million euros (Rs. 300 Crores). Over ten years, the initiative will support universities and research projects in India, China, Germany and the U.S. It aims to achieve improvements in research conditions for university undergraduates and scientists thus accelerating progress in promising fields of environment, energy and mobility.
The InterCampus in India will receive some 23 million euros (Rs. 140 Crores) which represents the lion’s share of the budget. A ten -year development project will setup an independent “Robert Bosch IISc Center for Research in Cyber Physical Systems” at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore. Bosch hopes that this funding will create a long term research and working environment for future engineer and scientists.
Professor K. Chattopadhyay – Chairman, Dept of Mechanical Sciences, IISc, Bangalore, said : “The InterCampus Program” is an extremely significant step in the direction of the corporate world contributing to the urgent cause of funding research for a greener, cleaner and efficient way of life. I sincerely hope it sets a bench mark for many more in the industry to follow suit.”
Investment Plan
The Bosch Group in India, a leading supplier of technology and services in the areas of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods and building technology; also announced its future plans for the Indian market. Presently in its 125th anniversary year, Bosch continues to look at meeting growing market demands in India with a planned investment of Rs 2500 crores between 2011 and 2013. The investment activities include capacity augmentation, business portfolio diversification and Research and Development. Of this investment amount, Bosch Limited, the flagship company of the Bosch Group in India will utilize Rs 1300 crores.
As part of its Investment plan, Bosch will also be setting up a new electrical drives manufacturing facility in Chennai. This facility is expected to start production by 2012 to cater to growing needs of the Indian market.
Another significant activity by the Bosch Group in India pertains to software engineering and support for global power train electronics development for gasoline and diesel engines along with hybrid and electric vehicles. The project looks into the global challenges of CO2 emission reduction in power train electronics and Bosch will employ over 800 engineers in Bangalore and Coimbatore.
A large proportion of investment will also be used for new products for growing and unique Indian market needs. Having met Bharat Stage 3 norms with the Inline pump, further efforts are being made to upgrade these pumps for higher injection pressure to meet forthcoming emission norms. For the Low Priced Vehicle segment, common rail for enhanced fuel efficiency is also being worked upon. Innovative solutions for tractors are another area of work. Start-stop systems and low cost ABS for 2-wheelers which form a very significant portion of private transport in India are some of the other significant near future offerings from Bosch.
Commenting on the occasion, Dr. Bernd Bohr – Member, Board of Management – Robert Bosch GmbH and Chairman of the Automotive Group said : “The highly encouraging performance of Bosch in India adds another highlight to the Anniversary year. With a turnover of Rs 9270 Crore, the Bosch Group in India has seen 36% growth in 2010 over the past year. We hope to continue our growth by equipping ourselves to cater to the growing needs of the Indian market. The Indian economy’s resilience to the recent economic crisis and its potential for growth are indeed undisputed. It is however the urgency and effort in the direction of cleaner, efficient technology in the backdrop of this economic growth provides us with great opportunities.”
Bosch Journey in India
In India, Bosch is a leading supplier of technology and services in the areas of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods and building technology. Additionally, Bosch also has in India, the largest development centre, outside Germany, for end- to- end engineering and technology solutions. The Bosch Group operates in India through six companies, viz, Bosch Limited, Bosch Chassis Systems India Limited, Bosch Rexroth India Limited, Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions Limited, Bosch Automotive Electronics India Pvt Ltd, Bosch Electrical Drives India Pvt. Ltd.
In India, Bosch set up its manufacturing operation in 1953, which has grown over the years grown to include 13 manufacturing sites and four development centres. In 2010, Bosch Group in India generated a consolidated turnover of over Rs. 9270 Crores with 21,500 associates.
IISc: Celebrating 100 Years of Achievement
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) was conceived as a ‘Research Institute’ or ‘University of Research’ by Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, in the twilight years of the 19th century. A long period of almost thirteen years was to elapse from the initial conception in 1896 to the birth of the Institute on May 27, 1909. The early history of the Institute is a fascinating chapter in the story of higher education and scientific research in India. The cast of characters in the drama that led to the establishment of the Institute includes, in addition to its charismatic and generous founder J.N. Tata, figures from the pages of Indian history. There is Swami Vivekananda, whom J.N. Tata befriended on his famous voyage to the United States, the Maharaja of Mysore, Shri Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV and his mother then acting on his behalf, and Lord Curzon the Viceroy of India, whose first task on arrival on December 31, 1898 was to receive a draft proposal prepared by the Provisional Committee set up to plan the establishment of the Institute.
The plan was shepherded through many difficult years by Burjorji Padshah, a close associate of J.N. Tata. Unfortunately, J.N. Tata died in 1904 unaware that his vision would indeed be realized a few years later. When the British Government finally issued the Vesting Order in 1909, an unmatched experiment in higher education and research was launched in India.
