By George Guimarães | Translated by Jorge Meditsch
Bosch will invest R$ 940 million in Latin America in 2023. The amount is 16% higher than the R$ 806 million spent last year and will be used to improve the production structure, digitalization, and R&D, where the German group will direct most of its efforts and resources worldwide in the next few years.
The investment amount was released this Thursday, 5/18, by Gastón Diaz Perez, Robert Bosch Latin America’s president, who is celebrating the business growth. In 2022, earnings reached R$ 10.3 billion, 11.5% more than in the previous year. The amount includes exports and colligated companies.
The region’s largest market and production basis, Brazil was responsible for 74% of sales volume, about R$ 7.8 billion – 23% from exports to Latin America, North America and Europe markets.
About one-third of the investment scheduled for this year will benefit the development of competencies, technologies, products and digitalization services in Brazil.
These areas’ participation is still small in the company’s local operation, something Perez wants to be changed by the end of the decade, when the company expects to be earning about R$ 20 billion, with substantial growth also in the electric tools division.
“In one decade, it is estimated that half of the cost of a car will be from software. Brazil can’t be out of this universe and produce only autoparts”, says the executive, who aims to obtain about 10% of the Brazilian operation gains with digitalization services and products by 2030.
Perez says Brazil can become a hub for software development for the automotive sector in the German group. The complex of Campinas, SP, the company’s headquarters in Latin America, has become a young talent formation center with the support of Senai, at a cost estimated at 12 thousand euros per student/year.
“We are seeding, seeding… Our company will need thousands of professionals worldwide in the next years who may participate in global projects, as there are no longer physical barriers for this.”
Local products and projects
In the short term and using the already programmed investments, Bosch works to produce here components for flexible hybrid engines, direct fuel injection, and some electronic centrals currently imported from Asia.
And more: Perez plans to produce locally the MPC3 (Multi-Purpose Camera), a camera able to work simultaneously for various safety devices and drive assistance systems, such as emergency braking, traffic sign identification or lane keeping.
The MPC3 could be produced commercially in three to four years. To do so, Perez needs to convince the manufacturers of its advantages. “We would need a demand of one million units a year to justify the investment”, he explains.
Photo: Bosch
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