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Bosch entered India in 1922, when the Hamburg-based C. Illies & Company set up a sales office in Kolkata (then Calcutta).
The first agency set up was engaged in supplying automotive parts in India. For three decades, the company operated in the Indian market only through imports. Bosch then expanded considerably, by manufacturing and marketing their trademark invention – the high-voltage Bosch magneto ignition device.
Raghunandan Saran, a forerunner of the auto industry in India founded the company
The factory that began at Saran’s residence was later shifted to Bangalore in July 1954. Apart from MICO, Saran is also the founder of one of India’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturer - Ashok Leyland. The MICO brand logo symbolised dynamism and the wheel design of the Indian National Flag. The MICO brand soon went on to becoming synonymous with spark plugs. MICO also helped in mechanising transport used for distributing agricultural products.
MICO, the first factory building opens in Bangalore, Mysore State.
A monumental milestone was etched out for Bosch and it became known as a global leader with technological superiority in India but the milestone was achieved when Motor Industries Co. Ltd. was renamed as Bosch Limited. Also the software arm, Robert Bosch India Limited, was renamed Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions Limited. This new identity marked the transformation of the company as well as the brand. This new journey involved over 10,000 associates in a multicultural set-up and geographically diverse customer segments. Except in the automotive aftermarket business which would use the brand MICO and dual branding MICO Bosch for strategic reasons, all other businesses and products were consolidated under the Bosch brand.
The single cylinder pump gets its first customer.
In 1953, the new plant at Adugodi in Bangalore started the assembly of spark plugs and the manufacture of single-cylinder fuel-injection pumps, nozzle and filters. The PF pump played a significant role in revolutionising Indian agriculture, and the newly developing railway and industrial sectors. Nearly 4,000 pumps were manufactured by 1954.
Bosch India starts manufacture of spark plugs.
The earliest activity of MICO was to import and market Bosch automotive products; these rights had been moved to MICO from the Ghaziabad Engineering Company. During this time, the Indian government decided to regulate profits on the sale of imported replacement parts and the company responded quickly by taking the decision to establish a plant in Bangalore. The new plant at Adugodi in Bangalore started the assembly of spark plugs and the manufacture of single-cylinder fuel-injection pumps, nozzle holders and filters. Nearly 4,000 pumps were manufactured by 1954. The same year, MICO took initiatives to expand its network with the opening of a sales office in Mumbai, followed by Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai.
As a CSR initiative, the dispensary building was donated for the citizens of Adugodi.
The dispensary building at Adugodi, Bangalore, was the first-of-its-kind in the city built in a record time of four months by MICO for the benefit of people residing in Adugodi.
Manufacturing experience gained at Bangalore helps to set up a pilot plant.
Nashik in Maharashtra, was chosen as the second manufacturing site. The in-depth manufacturing experience gained at Bangalore helped to set up a pilot plant in 1969. In August 1971, the government gave its approval and granted an industrial licence. The construction of the main building was started the next year. The production of the classical series of nozzles and nozzle holders began within two years. In the years to come, the company played an important role in Nashik’s transformation from a predominantly agricultural region into a modern industrial state.
The production of the first Bosch power tools at the Naganathapura plant.
Full scale manufacturing of drills, blowers and grinders began in the plant and the hammer series was added later in 2012. The Naganathapura plant was certified as a QS9000 plant in 1997 and Bosch was the first company in India in terms of its turnover and employees to achieve this distinction. The plant owns 35% of the marketed products while the rest are imported from Germany, Malaysia, Switzerland and the United States.
New software center in Bangalore opens in Koramangala.
Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions Private Limited (RBEI) is a 100% owned subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH. As one of the world’s leading global suppliers of technology and services, RBEI offers end-to-end Engineering, IT, and Business Solutions. With a global footprint and presence in US, Europe, Japan, China, and the Asia Pacific region, they are at the forefront of designing, developing, and executing IoT ecosystems within the 3 aspects of IoT – Sensors, Software, and Services. Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions (RBEI), the largest offshore development centre for Bosch globally, currently employs over 20,000 employees in the country.