Bosch to invest €300 million in Japanese R&D facility
Bosch's Japanese subsidiary says that it will invest some JPY 39 billion (about EUR 300 million) into a new R&D facility and the Ward Cultural Center.
The construction is currently scheduled be completed in September 2024 and is the largest single capital expenditure for the Bosch Group in Japan in its more than 110-year history. Bosch will relocate its headquarters office from Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, to the new R&D facility.
"Bosch and the Japanese automotive industry have enjoyed a longstanding, fruitful partnership since we first started our operations in Japan in 1911," says Rolf Najork, member of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH responsible for Japan in a press release. "The establishment of the new R&D facility will strengthen our cross-divisional development capabilities, allowing us to drive future mobility together with our local partners."
This is the first time for Bosch worldwide to participate in a public-private partnership project that integrates Bosch locations with local facilities.
"We are very pleased that Bosch, the world's leading supplier of automotive components, has decided to make a major investment in the construction of a new R&D facility in Tsuzuki Ward, Yokohama. It is expected that the facility will enable Bosch to work even more closely with Japanese automakers to promote further technological and economic development," says Mrs. Mio Kawada, Director-General of Invest Japan Department at Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).
By building a new R&D facility in the home ground of Japanese automakers, it will make it easier for Bosch to build strong relationships and closer collaborations with customers.
The company says that the new facility will bring together divisions and subsidiaries in areas such as vehicle control, safety systems, driver assistance/automated driving, HMI (Human Machine Interface), in-vehicle electronic components, vehicle software, connected services, engineering and automotive aftermarket.
The facility will consolidate the eight offices currently scattered in the Tokyo-Yokohama area. In addition to Mobility Solutions, a division and group companies of Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology sectors will also move into the new facility. The relocation is expected to be completed by December 2024.
Bosch's new facility will have seven floors above ground and two floors below, with a total floor area of 53,000 square meters, including test facilities, office functions and collaboration and workshop areas to enhance creativity. About 2,000 associates of the Bosch Group are expected to move to work at the facility.
The company also says that the facility will be able to accommodate for future personnel growth in advanced technology areas such as software and AI. Meanwhile, the current R&D facility in Tsuzuki Ward will continue to be used for powertrain related research and development as well as home to Bosch's global headquarters for the two-wheeler and powersports business.
