“Our advantage has always been the brand itself,” says Managing Director Krystyna Boczkowska. “Our customers always appreciated German quality products. In Poland, Bosch is well-known as a symbol for innovation, security, efficiency and sustainability.”
Benefiting from this confidence, Bosch started its activities in Poland in 1991. In three months only, an efficient distribution system had been built up. At the beginning, the company focused on the automotive aftermarket, power tools and Junkers water heaters.
“Bosch was one of the first western companies in Poland,” explains Ms. Boczkowska. “It was a brave but successful decision. The only thing we missed out was to start our own production. Because of the lack of infrastructure we did not want to take the risk to produce.”
Over the next couple of years, Bosch continuously grew – organically and by strategic acquisitions. In 1993, BSH Bosch and Siemens Home Appliances Group was founded in Poland, two years later, the first washing machines left the plant.
Today, three million devices are produced annually by BSH in Poland. Other decisive milestones were the acquisition of Rexroth in 2001, Philips Security in 2002, Bruderus in 2003 and Holger Christiansen in 2008. Today, Bosch Poland is represented by the three companies Robert Bosch, Bosch Rexroth and BSH Bosch and Siemens Home Appliances Group.
The company has 1,944 employees and a turnover of 753 million EUR. Robert Bosch differentiates between the four divisions Automotive Aftermarket, Power Tools, Thermotechnology and Security Systems. With 40,000 items in its catalogue and an annual growth rate of 20%, the Automotive Aftermarket is playing an important role for Bosch.
Customers such as car manufacturers, wholesalers and workshops are supplied with a huge range of spare parts and products for retrofittings. With almost 30% market share Bosch brand dominates the power tools market in Poland.
Customer focus and an outstanding spirit of innovation are pivotal characteristics appreciated by the customers. A central power tools service center in Warsaw with 40 highly skilled technicians offers repair services within three days.
Every year, Bosch launches 100 new power tools products. The division of Thermotechnology offers efficient and environmentally friendly heating products and water heaters made by Bruderus and Junkers.
Another area of operation includes components and systems that make driving as safe as possible. This year, roughly1.6 million Power Brakes will be produced in a modern plant in Wroclaw with steadily increasing production volumes over the next years.
Renowned international companies like BMW, Nissan, Renault, Fiat, Suzuki, Opel, Toyota, Citroen and Peugeot rely on the brake systems made by Bosch. Furthermore, Bosch is highly regarded for its innovative security systems with video surveillance, alarm systems, access control systems and conference systems.
Bosch Rexroth, another internationally leading company, finally complements the World of Bosch. Innovative solutions for industrial automation, mobile equipment and renewable energies contribute to its leading position as a partner for machine and system manufacturers.
An uncompromising quality, reliability and a great user convenience characterize BSH Bosch and Siemens Home Appliances Group, a division which dynamically grows. “There is still a lot of potential for Bosch in Poland,” stresses Ms. Boczkowska. “We are now thinking about new distribution channels like cross selling systems. Apart from our brands we especially benefit from our outstanding employees. In Poland, you find a lot of creativity, dynamic and commitment. Our enthusiastic team represents our brand in a perfect way and we are very thankful for this.”