Bosch software arm to invest Rs 300 cr in 2 years

Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions Ltd (RBEI), a 100 per cent owned IT subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH of Germany, a supplier of technology and services to automobile OEMs, today announced an additional investment of Rs 300 crore over next two years to expand its global powertrain electronics centre in India. RBEI develops software for in-house applications of Bosch group for its global operations.

The company will recruit 1,700 engineers in 2011 in Bangalore and Coimbatore development centres. Of this, 400 engineers will be recruited to its global powertrain electronics centre, Vijay Ratnaparkhe, managing director, RBEI, said. Presently, the company has 7,500 employees spread across Bangalore and Coimbatore centres.

“RBEI, for the first time, will share global responsibility for powertrain electronics development, together with the diesel and gasoline systems — electronic control (DGS-EC) business unit, within the automotive division of the Bosch Group. We are increasing our workforce here to handle additional responsibility for new customers, markets and projects,” he told reporters. Walter Grote, senior vice president and business unit head, DGS-EC said the global powertrain centre is the first global centre outside Germany. “Till now RBEI has been an ‘extended workbench’ for global customers in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries. It will see a substantial growth and investments in engineering capability in the coming years. It will recruit more engineers in the powertrain electronics domain over the next two years,” he said.

RBEI is presently involved in software and hardware development of electronic controllers used for automotive powertrain electronics management. From now on RBEI engineers will also directly liaise with customers across the world for their requirements, with complete responsibility of the entire product development lifecycle — from conceptualisation, to design and development of powertrain electronic hardware and software, to validation, field support and manufacturing ramp up, Grote added.

In the last two years, RBEI has invested in specialised engineering facilities, the electronic control unit, reliability testing lab and the electromagnetic compatibility and electromagnetic interference test facilities at Bangalore and Coimbatore.