|
Bosch occupies the No.1 spot in the majority of Asia Pacific power tools markets. According to Dr. Klaus Thunig, Vice President for Bosch Power Tools Asia Pacific, the secret behind this success is a combination of innovative new products and a local production focus that is now seeing more tools than ever “made in Asia, for Asia.” “While the North American and European markets saw declines in the last year, the Asia Pacific market has grown at approximately 4%. Bosch sales have increased much faster than the market, rising by 12%,” said Dr. Thunig. “That’s an outstanding performance. But the real leaders are the players that perform consistently, year after year. In Asia, which is already a US$1.3 billion dollar market, Bosch Power Tools has seen steady growth for the last three years. Even in the extremely challenging conditions of the last year, growth slowed only slightly,” he said. Bosch believes passionately in innovation – fresh ideas, pioneering technologies and market-leading products. This insistence on innovation has paid off handsomely for the firm. “In 2000, the proportion of new products in our portfolio was already a healthy 14%. Today, new products that were launched within the last two years account for more than one third of our sales,” said Dr. Thunig. Bosch products come from all over the world. From some 25 manufacturing locations as far afield as Europe, the USA and, increasingly, in Asia Pacific. The company has plants in Hangzhou in China, in Penang in Malaysia and in Bangalore in India. This extensive production footprint has enabled Bosch to launch more than 120 new products in the last year alone. “Some of the highlights we’ve launched in the last year include the compact GSR ProDrive Professional cordless screwdriver, the ground breaking GOP 10.8 V-LI Professional Multi-Cutter, and one of the most comfortable and flexible drilling and screwdriving solutions on the market – the GSR 10.8 V-LI-2 Professional,” said Dr. Thunig. While Bosch’s professional power tools line wears a dark blue livery, the company is also focused on green social and environmental issues. The cordless lithium-ion products it has pioneered are a good example of that philosophy in action. Compared to nickel cadmium batteries, Bosch’s Premium Lithium-Ion cells contain 70% less heavy metals. They also produce 40% less CO2 emissions over an average 10-year battery pack lifetime. Health is another area where Bosch is committed to making a difference in people’s lives -- especially the health of tool users. Advances such as anti-vibration systems, superior ergonomic designs and lightweight tools make Bosch tools more comfortable and less tiring to use. “Even though the Bosch Group worldwide expects 2009 to be one of the most difficult years in our company's history, we remain optimistic about Power Tools Asia Pacific,” said Dr. Thunig. Current News |
