Bosch sets the stage for the factory of future

Bosch is preparing systematically for connected manufacturing and logistics: effective July 1, 2019, Sven Hamann, 46, took over as head of the Bosch Connected Industry business unit. Hamann succeeds Dr. Stefan Assmann, 55, who is joining the company’s Industrial Technology business sector as its business chief digital officer. Changes are also underway at Bosch Rexroth: Dr. Heiner Lang, 43, is joining the executive board effective August 1, 2019, and will be assuming responsibility for engineering and the Factory Automation business field.

“The factory of the future is both a business model for our customers and a lever for us to prepare the 280 Bosch plants worldwide for future challenges. Filling key positions with Industry 4.0 experts is a logical step and provides new impetus,” says Rolf Najork, member of the Bosch board of management responsible for Industrial Technology.

Management change at Bosch Connected Industry

The Bosch Connected Industry business unit has performed well since its establishment in 2018. More than 50 international customers are already running software solutions from the Nexeed portfolio, including BMW, Osram, and Trumpf. “More and more companies are relying on Bosch’s Industry 4.0 know-how. In the shape of Sven Hamann, we now have a proven expert for manufacturing and automation who will continue to develop the Bosch Connected Industry business unit and its portfolio,” Najork says. Hamann is taking over from Assmann, who will be assuming the position of business chief digital officer in the company’s Industrial Technology business sector.

“In his new function, Dr. Stefan Assmann will act as a link between the various divisions and business units, leveraging his many years’ experience to drive Industry 4.0 in our plants,” Najork says. While Assmann will be responsible for the digitalization of the business fields and the cultural change that accompanies it, Hamann will focus on software solutions for manufacturing. “I am looking forward to the new challenges. We are going to continuously improve the Nexeed portfolio and expand it with tailored services that help customers connect the entire value stream,” Hamann says. Most recently, the Industry 4.0 expert worked in Bosch corporate research as senior vice president for production automation and metals technology.

Dr. Heiner Lang is Bosch Rexroth’s chief engineering officer

Effective August 1, 2019, Dr. Heiner Lang joins the executive board of Bosch Rexroth AG, taking responsibility for corporate engineering and the Factory Automation business field. In his new role, Lang, a mechanical engineer who joined Bosch Rexroth in 2017, will redouble the focus on software-based, automated, and connected manufacturing solutions. “Dr. Heiner Lang brings the expertise and spirit we need to realize our vision of the factory of the future,” Najork says.

The product portfolio will be systematically geared to Industry 4.0. Just recently, for example, the company presented an autonomous transport system that carts materials from the warehouse to where they need to be on the production line. This Active Shuttle will be launched this autumn. In June, Bosch Rexroth opened a customer and innovation center in Ulm, Germany, for new products and business fields related to digitalization, electrification, and the factory of the future. By the end of 2020, the location is scheduled to provide space for up to 250 associates who will work with customers to develop smart solutions for future areas of application.

Smart factories: Bosch is opting for Industry 4.0 worldwide

Industry 4.0 is an integral part of Bosch’s corporate strategy. The company is digitizing its data and connecting its plants and those of its customers. Industry 4.0 solutions are first tested and validated in-house before Bosch markets them to other companies. This means customers benefit from the experience acquired in 280 Bosch plants. Bosch projects show that connected solutions can boost productivity at individual sites by up to 25 percent and reduce inventories by as much as 30 percent. The company’s strategy is paying off: over the past four years, Industry 4.0 applications have generated total sales of more than 1.5 billion euros for Bosch. As early as 2022, Bosch aims to generate annual sales of over one billion euros in this area.