Date:17/02/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/02/17/stories/2006021709960500.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Bosch development centre in Coimbatore

P. Manoj

The centre, which will become operational in a year, is part of a risk mitigation strategy

The centre will focus on automotive and industrial engineering
It will start functioning this year
Initially, a few hundred employees will be recruited

Later, a campus will be developed and employee strength increased to 2,500

Walter Grote

Bangalore: The Bosch Group, a global major in automotive, industrial and building technology and consumer goods, will set up its second development centre in the country in Coimbatore. The centre, which will become operational this year, is part of a risk mitigation strategy, Walter Grote, Managing Director, Robert Bosch India Limited, told The Hindu here on Thursday.

The decision of the Bosch Group to set up the centre in Tamil Nadu reinforces an increasing trend among global corporations, including SemIndia and Siemens, to opt for destinations outside Karnataka for setting up plants and taking forward expansion and risk mitigation plans.

Bosch India runs a development centre spread across four facilities in Bangalore, the last of which was opened on January 10 by Bernd Bohr, Chairman of its automotive group.

"Bosch India needs a second location here for risk mitigation. Coimbatore has been selected owing to the availability of a good talent pool," Dr. Grote said. "The Coimbatore development centre will focus on automotive and industrial engineering, especially software development," he added.

From this year

The new centre will start functioning this year, initially from rented premises, with a few hundred employees. Later, Bosch plans to develop a campus and increase employee strength to 2,500, Dr. Grote said.

Robert Bosch India Ltd., a 100 per cent subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH, provides engineering and non-engineering services to the Bosch Group, such as electronic control unit development for automotive, industrial and building technology, consumer goods, information technology services, process consulting, mechanical engineering, IC design, shared services accounting and documentation.

As part of its general expansion plans, Bosch India will add 1,000 employees to its India operations every year with the aim of reaching a headcount of 6,000 by 2010, Dr. Grote said.

Coimbatore was chosen as it has a good airport and other facilities. The development centre is being set up with the objective of creating competition between Bosch's facilities, Dr. Grote noted.

Bosch India is working on developing high-end technology, including diesel electronic control units, gasoline fuel injection technology and entertainment electronics such as car radios, for the Indian market. "We will offer all these to the Indian market and other emerging markets soon," Dr. Grote said.