so you can live like a Bosch"},{"headline":"Annual report","href":"/company/annual-report/","label":"Our year in numbers"},{"headline":"Contact us","href":"/contact/","label":"How can we help you?"}] [{"label": "Hydrogen" "href": "/search.html?q=Hydrogen"},{"label": "Artificial intelligence" "href": "/search.html?q=Artificial intelligence"},{"label": "Automated driving" "href": "/search.html?q=Automated driving"},{"label": "Careers" "href": "/search.html?q=Careers"},{"label": "Podcast" "href": "/search.html?q=Podcast"}] Select a language Head of Training and Further Education at the Bosch Blaichach site Humming wild bees buzzing in the mountain meadows softly creaking wooden floorboards on the way to the kitchen and a fantastic view of the Allgäu Alps What might sound like a holiday to many people is part of Reiner’s everyday life; he runs a mountain hut in the Bavarian Alps with his wife Reiner has worked at Bosch since his apprenticeship days — and still does today Thanks to the flexible working time models at Bosch Reiner has now been working at Bosch for over 40 years It all began with his apprenticeship in Waiblingen near Stuttgart: “My father and my brother both worked at Bosch at that time and I knew I wanted to join them So I started my training as a toolmaker and was then employed as a machine setter,” says Reiner he repeatedly changed his area of responsibility from toolmaking And he gradually took on more and more responsibility for managing personnel — until he went to Thailand for four years as department head: “After a test trip to get to know the country I moved to Asia together with my family in 2011 The local project was a great opportunity for me personally I had already been involved in the strategy process back in Germany I helped establish a new plant and its entire infrastructure My time abroad was a great experience for me my wife became fluent in Thai and explored Ayurvedic cooking She gained a lot personally from the experience — something she still benefits from today,” Reiner shares enthusiastically Upon returning to Germany Reiner spent three years working in Schwäbisch Gmünd an opportunity came up to move to the Allgäu region in Bavaria where he provided managerial support in special machinery construction What’s great about the Blaichach/Immenstadt site near the Bavarian Alps We have a highly motivated team here in a region where others go on holidays I think we're all grateful to have the opportunity to live and work in the Allgäu,“ emphasises Reiner each day brings fresh excitement with new topics We have a super motivated team here in a region where others go on holidays Reiner has remained loyal to Bosch since his apprenticeship in the 1980s — and has continued to develop in this time both in technical expertise and leadership skills In addition to the great teamwork with his colleagues it was especially his passion for the topics and the meaningful work that ultimately kept him at Bosch Immediately after being hired in the Allgäu region he told his boss: “I will get to 40 years at Bosch.” This has always been a big milestone for Reiner: “I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to change but I knew one thing: when I hit this milestone I no longer had the drive to keep climbing the career ladder.” However Reiner didn’t yet have a clear plan for what would come next Play YouTube Loading the video requires your consent the video will load and data will be transmitted to Google as well as information will be accessed and stored by Google on your device Google may be able to link these data or information with existing data Learn more Although they were excited about the prospect of getting the hut, they were not very optimistic about their chances: “We actually firmly assumed that it wouldn't work out anyway. So we were all the more surprised when the owner of the hut called us and told us that we had been chosen. After a few sleepless nights, where we went over everything again and again, we finally made our decision,” Reiner recalls. That marked the beginning of their current life at the mountain hut. Instead of travelling around Europe by bus during the sabbatical, we used it to transport materials for the hut renovation. Another thing that has changed as a result of the move to the hut is Reiner's journey to work: “In winter, I put on my skis and ski down the mountain. My car is then waiting for me at the bottom, which I use to drive to the Bosch site. After work, I park in the same spot again and walk back up the mountain on my touring skis — it clears my head on the way home, which is great,” says Reiner happily. Reiner also stays active in summer and often uses his bike instead of skis to get to work. Drag slider Profile Reiner Steffan Head of Training and Further Education at the Bosch Blaichach site the lead plant for the global manufacturing of ABS/ESP® safety systems is deeply involved in sounding out the possibilities of connected industry where cutting-edge IT delivers superlative efficiency Connected business: Bosch in Blaichach works with cutting-edge equipment Connected business: Bosch in Blaichach works with cutting-edge equipment / Blaichach is a hands-on lesson in connectivity Where production experts used to inspect machines and check parts tablets have now become the everyday tool to track processes and intervene if necessary This is the world of the fourth industrial revolution: Industry 4.0 By connecting its operations with the latest in IT and by digitalizing all its processes in line with the Bosch Production System the Bosch location has started blazing a trail to the future As the lead plant for an international network Blaichach is the perfect choice for this role 3,000 associates produce 6.7 million ABS/ESP® safety systems sharing information and driving further improvements Industry 4.0 offers plenty of new opportunities for making production more efficient The wealth of data is something companies need to leverage to their competitive edge quality can be assured and the process of monitoring workpieces speeded up There is also the advantage of a global database to reveal error patterns in production Blaichach has combined these patterns with experience gained from resolving the errors successfully and developed an operator support system ABS/ESP® security systems are manufactured by 3,300 people This system not only displays error messages themselves but also tried-and-tested recommendations for dealing with them allows experts to keep a watch on cycle times and to intervene early on these advances have made it possible for Bosch to increase productivity at its ABS/ESP® manufacturing facilities worldwide by almost 24 percent One further advantage is that product quality has been given a new dimension Data gathered directly from customers can be analyzed and transmitted automatically to manufacturers Yet the success of the technology depends on people They have to work with digital connectivity People have to interpret the information and make the right decisions That’s why Blaichach highlights “soft factors” as well Factors like “rethinking” and “culture change,” or working with technology — an activity that should be as simple as it is effective Or factors such as the desires and expectations that associates have when it comes to connected manufacturing which everyone involved now has to fulfill Bosch pooled its expertise in the area of connected manufacturing in its “Connected Industry” cluster some 100 experts from every part of the company work together there there are also expert groups supporting the innovation cluster with more than 100 pilot projects Bosch uses the knowledge that has been gained in this way to enhance its Industry 4.0 competitiveness and open up new areas of business It is also in a position to offer external customers Industry 4.0 solutions Bosch is both a leading provider and a leading user Everyday life in Blaichach: Manufacturing with smartphone Summary In Blaichach Bosch is testing the manufacturing facility of the future but also more safety and less hard work for associates The products that roll off the production line at the Bosch plant in Blaichach Germany help keep roads safe around the world At this plant Bosch manufactures automotive technology such as ABS and ESP It is up to Christoph Kunz and his coworkers to keep production running smoothly and ensure the components satisfy the highest quality standards Smart software called Nexeed helps them get the job done An industry 4.0 software suite developed by Bosch Connected Industry reads out data from more than 60,000 sensors and delivers the relevant information to Kunz in real time This makes predictive maintenance possible the data can indicate that a caulking tool on the assembly line will soon need to be serviced This anticipatory response minimizes machine downtime The Blaichach plant alone has reduced disruptions in its ESP manufacturing operations by a quarter Kunz can keep track of individual machines’ condition on his desktop computer He can even monitor all the manufacturing operations in one machine shop These are just some of the ways in which smart software systems like Nexeed take manufacturing operation one step closer to the factory of the future One core component of the Nexeed software suite is the Industrial Application System It interfaces with all connected manufacturing industry applications via a single uniform dashboard and user interface This kind of connectivity requires painstaking programming — both to handle data sourced from so many machines and systems along the value chain and to interpret the many formats and communication protocols across the supply chain a digital representation of physical assets such as machinery This uniform data is then easier to process Everyone wins — the companies that build the machines and the engineers who operate and maintain the production lines A simple example illustrates how this works Let’s say a machine sends the following combination of numbers: 1 + 2019-09-25T08:15 + 23.8 A digital twin then interprets this to generate an alert that reads something like this: “The coolant temperature at 8:15 a.m 3.8 degrees above the standard operating temperature of 20°C.” Nexeed has another great advantage: as an open system it is easy to retrofit on legacy production lines The retrofit serves to connect machines to the internet of things (IoT) or more accurately the industrial IoT (IIoT) the Nexeed Industrial Application System comprises 16 specialized applications and several standalone solutions “Nexeed is the brains of our production facility It makes processes transparent and tells our machinery what to do and when to do it.” states Christoph Kunz section head for production scheduling at Bosch’s Blaichach plant it will be easy to reconfigure machinery and to scale up or scale down production lines according to requirements Power will be supplied by induction loops embedded in the factory floor Automated guided vehicles delivering parts humans working at close quarters with robots ultrafast 5G networks sharing data in real time — Nexeed is helping pave the way to all this and more it is already capable of assigning any order to the right machinery It automatically programs the designated production line with the required data which then processes each job order accordingly The production data this generates is presented clearly and is accessible at all times which means that manufacturing operations can be precisely evaluated and improved The statistics back this up: individual Bosch locations have boosted productivity by up to 25 percent and reduced inventories by as much as 30 percent For more information: www.bosch-connected-industry.com HOME PAGE LINK A large jovial crowd, many attired in lederhosen or dirndls, gathered outside the beer tent. All eyes were on the mountain road. Soon they shouted and pointed. Rounding a bend up in the hills marched a procession of cows and herders. Bells clanged. The crowd cheered. The animals came closer and the clanging grew louder. The herdsmen worked the cattle with their staffs to keep them on track down into the valley. It was the Viehscheid, a traditional folklore festival in the village of Weissach in southern Germany’ Allg’u region, when the cattle are driven from mountain pastures back to the valleys. The fun and lusty celebration went on for several hours as some 1,000 cattle paraded down the mountain. The cattle, many decorated with elaborate wreaths and headdresses of greenery, flowers and ribbons and all wearing huge bells, were divided into groups by ownership. Franz Meisburger’s cows, a group of 70, were the first down at 8:40 a.m. In Germany’s mountainous Allg’u, in parts of Switzerland and Austria, the cows are feted in the fall when they return to the valleys after spending summers high up in Alpine pastures where herdsmen live in huts near their charges. Peter Berg, a local who came by to “have a small beer” and watch the festivities, explained that Viehscheid means separating the cattle. The animals from different owners mingle throughout the summer, but each has a tag in its ear, which identifies to whom it belongs. Before returning to the valley, the cows are separated into the appropriate groups. A dirndl-clad woman carrying a sign with the name of the owner precedes each herd in the parade. Children wearing traditional garb are often by her side. Then come the cows and the herders, also dressed in local costume. A happy bunch, they skip, bounce and run down the mountain as they celebrate the end of a successful summer. One cow from each owner’s herd is chosen to be the Kranzkuh (wreath cow) and wears an especially elaborate headdress. It’s usually a good-looking specimen who is docile enough to tolerate the huge decoration around its head and neck. Many of the colorful wreathlike headgear include a small mirror to ward off evil spirits. If misfortune has befallen a group of cows during the summer, such as a death or injury, that owner is not permitted the honor of having a Kranzkuh in his herd. At Weissach, of the 14 herds that paraded, only one was minus a Kranzkuh. All of the cattle are weighted down with an enormous bell, and many are decorated in greenery. Some groups even have a few goats or horses mixed in with the cows. There are pauses between the appearance of the herds, time to browse the numerous souvenir stands selling everything from cow bells and stuffed cows to Bavarian scarves and socks, wooden shoes with cow hide and fur, even wooden crucifixes. Drinking and eating seem to have a greater appeal, however, as the beer tent, complete with oom-pah band, is always packed. And, the fest-goers, in true Bavarian fashion, drink their beer in Mass mugs, which hold a liter of the golden liquid. Berg said the Viehscheid used to be a fest just for the locals, but its popularity has grown and now visitors come from all over Germany. “But we try to keep it at the same level. We want to keep to its roots” he said. Here is a list of festivals honoring the return of cattle — and sometimes sheep — from the mountain pastures in Switzerland, Austria and Germany this fall. Sept. 9: Oberstaufen/Weissach from 8:30 a.m. Sept. 10: Seeg from 1 p.m.; Pfronten from 9 a.m.; Maierh’fen from noon; Bad Hindelang from 9 a.m. Sept. 16: Balderschwang from 9:30 a.m.; Nesselwang from 10 a.m.; Oberstaufen/Thalkirchdorf from 9:30 a.m.; Schattwald from 2 p.m. Sept. 17: Schwangau from 12:30 p.m.; Jungholz from 10 a.m.; Blaichach/Gunzesried from 9 a.m.; Weitnau/Wengen from 12:30 p.m.; Missen-Wilhams from 10 a.m.; Eisenberg from 10 a.m.; Immenstadt from 9 a.m. Sept 19: Wertach from 8 a.m.; Kleinwalsertal from 8:15 a.m.; Halblech/Buching from 9:30 a.m.; Bolsterlang from 9 a.m. Sept. 24: Obermaiselstein from 9 a.m.; Oy-Mittelberg from 11 a.m. Sept 24: Charmey. This is said to be the best and most typical of the Swiss D&’salpes; Grimentz in Valais; St. Cergue in the Swiss Jura Oct. 8 and 9: Charmey, “B’eacute;nichon de la Montagne” (mountain blessing). A traditional festival featuring a race of hay wagons. Sept. 10: Jerzens from 11 a.m; F’genberg from 10 a.m. Sept. 11: Jerzens from 9:30 a.m.; Tarrenz from 11 a.m. This is a festival of sheep parading down from the mountain; Zwieselstein from 11 a.m; Ehrwald from 10:30 a.m. Sept. 17: St. Anton am Arlberg from 1 p.m.; Mutters from 12:30 p.m.; Zams, a festival of sheep, from 10 a.m.; Walchsee from 11:30 a.m.; Westendorf from 10 a.m.; Brixen im Thale from 10 a.m.; Scheffau, from 1 p.m.; Uderns from 10:30 a.m.; F’gen from 10:30 a.m.; Gerlos from 11 a.m.; Lermoos from 1:30 p.m. Sept. 18: Rinn from 10 a.m.; Nesselwängle from 10 a.m. Sept. 24: St. Johann in Tirol from 9 a.m. with a Knödel (dumpling) fest from 1 p.m.-10 p.m.; Hofgarten from 10 a.m.; Fügen from 10:30 a.m.; Gerlos from 9 a.m. Oct. 1: Mayrhofen from 10 a.m.; Zell am Ziller from 10 a.m.; Ried from 11 a.m. How Bosch brings its worldwide carbon footprint to zero   From 2020 The more than 400 Bosch locations worldwide — from development through production to administration — will no longer leave a carbon footprint Bosch consumed around 7.8 terawatt hours of energy worldwide It is not possible to reduce this consumption immediately and radically the corresponding carbon dioxide emissions can be completely neutralized — around 3.3 million tons in 2018 throughout the company Bosch has been relying on various ways of reducing carbon dioxide emissions for several years Using the power of water has a long tradition at the location in Blaichach The more than 100-year-old plant dating from 1907 was taken over by Bosch in 1960 and was extensively modernized and expanded in 2012 due to its great potential only a maximum amount of water of 2.4 m³ per second could be processed which meant that the water supply could not be fully utilized — especially during the snowmelt The maximum annual energy production at this time was 9,000 MWh The refurbishment included the installation of larger penstocks a new power plant building and more powerful turbines the hydropower plant generated 12,200 MWh of renewable electricity and was thus able to cover around 45 percent of the total electricity demand at the site through its own generation Reduce the site’s carbon footprint — that was what the team at Rodez in France set out to do when it started making plans as far back as 2009 The location now has a biomass heating plant It burns wood chips obtained from local certified sustainable forestry resources Rodez uses its power to heat water and generate process heat the wood chip-fired plant covers 90 percent of the location’s heating requirements It consumes some 6,600 metric tons of wood chips a year Burning this biomass releases no more carbon than the trees had taken from the atmosphere The factory has reduced its yearly emissions by around 600 tons Mexico — renewables as the main source of power Mexico has revamped its energy policy An energy reform launched there calls for the country to source 35 percent of the electricity from non-fossil fuels by 2024 With many hours of sunshine annually and high-wind regions Mexico’s geography and climate would certainly support that goal providing a solid foundation for change alongside committed support from government and business and has already set a high standard: power sourced exclusively from the Dominica wind farm in the state of San Luis Potosí covers more than 80 percent of the energy requirements of all Bosch locations in Mexico Bosch Mexico was able to save 56,000 metric tons of CO₂ in 2018 by switching to predominantly renewable energies Germany — crunching data to conserve energy The Bosch location at Homburg is edging ever closer to the vision of an energy efficient It has spared the world around 5,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide in the past two years and more than 23,000 tons since 2007 This approach pairs maximum transparency with technical innovation An energy management platform developed by Bosch uses data from the machinery collected at some 10,000 measuring points and optimize each individual machine’s power consumption Technical solutions include ventilation of manufacturing shops on an as-required basis utilization of waste heat from various machining processes and smart consumption management for machinery The better connected the production and logistics processes, the more efficient and resource-friendly industrial manufacturing will be — that, in a nutshell, is the key that unlocks the door to the factory of the future. And Bosch has smart software to connect all the diverse data streams. An industry 4.0 software suite developed by Bosch Connected Industry reads out data from more than 60,000 sensors and delivers the relevant information to Kunz in real time. This makes predictive maintenance possible. For example, the data can indicate that a caulking tool on the assembly line will soon need to be serviced. This anticipatory response minimizes machine downtime. The Blaichach plant alone has reduced disruptions in its ESP manufacturing operations by a quarter. Kunz can keep track of individual machines’ condition on his desktop computer, or on his tablet when he is on the move. He can even monitor all the manufacturing operations in one machine shop. These are just some of the ways in which smart software systems like Nexeed take us one step closer to the factory of the future. It automatically programs the designated production line with the required data, which then processes each job order accordingly. The production data this generates is presented clearly and is accessible at all times, which means that manufacturing operations can be precisely evaluated and improved. The statistics back this up: individual Bosch locations have boosted productivity by up to 25 percent and reduced inventories by as much as 30 percent. It now takes only half as long to collect information on materials flow and status. The milk runs that keep workstations on the shop floor supplied with components are now up to 35 percent more efficient. The drivers of milk-run vehicles have tablets to guide them and Nexeed to map out the most efficient delivery route on the fly. In the past, milk-run routes were fixed. A vehicle would stop at every location on the tour, irrespective of whether drop-off points needed new materials or not. The experts at Bosch Connected Industry drew on a deep well of experience and partnered with associates at Bosch plants to develop Nexeed. Now Bosch Connected Industry locations in Germany, Hungary, and China are working on further Industry 4.0 applications to control and connect manufacturing and logistics. It is a perfect example of how openness and diversity can help transcend borders and it is committed to diversity at the company Diversity is firmly embedded in Bosch’s DNA This is something that is really important to Alfons and something he actively supports as well As Global Website Manager for Bosch Power Tools he has a strong network that spans the world his commitment to the LGBT*IQ community gives him deep insights into diversity at Bosch Diversity comes second nature to the company Bosch works hard to ensure that every associate feels comfortable about who they are equity and inclusion create a workplace atmosphere where everyone can express their true self The short-term assignment made it possible for him to transfer to a different Bosch site for six months Alfons Mueller had always dreamed of an opportunity like this he had no idea that this decision would change his life completely In Chicago he met and fell in love not only with the country and its people but also with his now-husband Robby — the latter at the final game of the NFL season in 2020 I realized that I wanted to stay in the U.S — Bosch helped make this happen,” says Alfons Mueller The agile team constellations at Bosch allow transitions like this “I went back to Germany to clear out my apartment But then life laid a roadblock...” That would be COVID-19 During the pandemic it was much more difficult for people without a U.S Alfons Mueller’s dream seemed like it was over before it had really begun But neither he nor his associates in Human Resources at Bosch would let that happen After nearly a year and a half of hard work to obtain a work permit and visa Alfons Mueller grew up in the small town of Blaichach in the southern German region of Oberallgäu His first job was working in production at Bosch during his summer holidays He attended a vocational business school in Koblenz He lives with his husband Robby in Grand Rapids Alfons Mueller had first-hand experience with the warm and open working environment that is typical for Bosch in Germany That was also the case the first time he met his new team in the U.S “We went around the circle and everyone introduced themselves I said that I was living with my boyfriend,” he says He wants to pass on all the positive experiences he has gained over the years at Bosch and encourage queer associates: “I don’t want to force anyone to come out There will be people who will help you.” There is also strong support every year for Pride Month in June More and more Bosch sites are flying the rainbow flag on their buildings as a sign of support and to let everyone know that diversity is valued here A group celebration: In the morning Alfons Mueller’s team went on a boat cruise on the Chicago River I want to show my colleagues who are facing difficult situations and circumstances that they are not alone and that support is always available — from the company and from other members of queer marginalized groups Together we are strong: This applies at work as it does in life Bosch also relies on trusted advisers to ensure this strong sense of unity at the workplace each day They listen to what their colleagues have to say and stand up for their interests when further discussion is needed “The topics range from the coffee from the vending machine being cold to personal issues an employee may be facing,” says Alfons Mueller It was clear to him that he wanted to become a trusted advisor at Bosch The topic of diversity at the company is particularly close to his heart “If decisions in the company are accepted without anyone speaking up The management team at Bosch is well aware that HR decisions at a company in the 21st century must be discussed and scrutinized transparency is just as important as diversity “The Management has always responded well to my questions,” Alfons Mueller says There had always been lively exchanges about the work at Bosch The LGBT*IQ community and its supporters are organized at Bosch in the b:proud employee network which offers the possibility for informal exchange It is also a platform where members can plan after-hour meet-ups as well as local and larger events and connect with other b:proud groups across the globe More than 400,000 people work in the open and global world of Bosch worldwide It is normal for there to be disagreement whenever different world views and ways of life come together with everyone treating each other with respect “It’s a positive sign that these discussions are taking place I would hate to have a culture of silence where controversial issues are swept under the carpet,” says Alfons Mueller Being there for each other online and offline: Alfons Mueller and a large group of colleagues share their thoughts and ideas in the b:proud employee network Taking a clear stance Queer lifestyles are becoming more visible and more and more companies are taking a stance on the pride movement How they do this is something that the LGBT*IQ community is watching closely “I’m glad that Bosch isn’t just showing the rainbow flag in countries where this is acceptable because everyone else is,” says Alfons Mueller the company relies on strong communication and clear signals even in countries with more restrictive policies That is why I stand up for the belief that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity should have no place at the workplace,” stresses Filiz Albrecht Member of the Board of Management and Director of Industrial Relations at Robert Bosch GmbH “Invented for life” is a motto that requires a team effort to live up to — with all the diversity that life has to offer The fact that it is lived and breathed every day at Bosch is down to its many committed associates — and the company’s clear compass of values Diversity is our advantage StoryDiversity