More Bosch In Mexico

Bosch Group said it will spend upwards of $97 million to expand its operations in Mexico to meet increased local demand and expected further growth in the region.

The company has opened a new powertrain engineering center at its existing site in San Luis Potosí. At the same time, local automotive technology manufacturing capacity will be expanded. Between 2015 and 2018, Bosch said will invest roughly $78 million to expand the location. The plant in San Martín Obispo has also been expanded at a cost of nearly $10 million: an additional building is intended to create extra space for the production of hydraulic systems, the company said.

“We expect all our business sectors to continue to develop positively in the current year,” said René Schlegel, president of Bosch Mexico. “To be prepared adequately, we’re planning to invest more than 90 million euros this year.” Moreover, the company aims to hire more than 3000 new associates locally – most of them in San Luis Potosí and San Martín Obispo. Today Bosch employs over 13 000 associates in Mexico, one-third more than in 2012.

Bosch has now expanded four of its locations in Mexico this year. In Aguascalientes, the company started the production of vehicle safety systems such as anti-lock braking system (ABS) and electronic stability system (ESP) for the local market in mid-June. In Querétaro in the central Mexican region of Bajio, a new plant for automotive steering systems is to be built by 2019. It will cover an area of 15 000 sq. m and be the 11^th Bosch location in the country.

“Our investment in the new location underlines our confidence in the continued growth of the Mexican market and demonstrates our long-term commitment to the country,” Schlegel said.

Bosch is therefore continuing to expand in Mexico. Over the past four years, the company has invested more than 360 million euros in strengthening its local presence. Much of this has gone toward the Mobility Solutions plants in Toluca and Juárez, as well as the Security Systems plant in Hermosillo. In 2015, Bosch opened a new location in Tepotzotlán, manufacturing heating systems for the Mexican and Latin American markets. On the engineering front as well, Mexico is gaining momentum. Since 2014, Bosch has been operating a center for software development and engineering services for the American market in Guadalajara.