Bosch says business can only get better
"Our industry's most important trade fair is taking place at a time of great change: It marks the turning point after a far-reaching recession," said Klefenz.
Despite partial recovery last year, he said: "The volatile market left manufacturers and suppliers of packaging machines deeply scarred. Some competitors were not able to weather the set-backs of the crisis and were forced to shut down."
But Bosch's strong position in the emerging markets of Asia and Latin America compensated for difficult market conditions in Europe and North America. "Today, more than 20 percent of our incoming orders come from the emerging market countries; many of which lie within Asia," said Klefenz.
China currently accounts for 8 percent of the company's worldwide sales in third place after the United States (20 per cent) and Germany (14 per cent). Bosch is doubling the size of its facility at Hangzhou to 9,000 square metres.
Active in India for 16 years, Bosch is building a new plant covering 33,000 square metres in Goa, in the south west of the country. The facility will serve markets in India and elsewhere in South-East Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
In addition to new business in emerging markets, the company's wide portfolio also helped it to keep sales stable during the worldwide economic crisis, said Klefenz.
Both factors helped the company achieve sales of 717m euros last year; overtaking the levels reached in 2008 before the economic crisis.
Meanwhile, last month, Bosch launched a new business unit Confectionery and Food to focus existing operations in these market segments.
In April, Bosch launched another new business unit Liquid Food based in Waiblingen, south west Germany. The new unit reflects the growing significance of asceptic machines and clean-fill thermoforming units. It will be dedicated to the production of asceptic flow wrapping machines, foils and closures.
