Bosch commences construction of new facility to support Australian manufacturers

Bosch’s Manufacturing Solutions and Rexroth businesses have commenced construction on a new A$17million facility which when completed will see the end of a five year project to consolidate all of Bosch’s Victorian businesses to its 12 hectare Clayton campus.

Bosch’s investment to support Australian manufacturers is welcomed following Holden's US parent company General Motors yesterday announcing it would retire the iconic Holden brand and close down its Australian operations, with about 600 employees set to lose their jobs.

Member of Bosch Group Board of Management Asia Pacific, Peter Tyroller who attended the commemorative soil-turning event advised “I am delighted that our Australian team is playing such an important role in securing the future of manufacturing in this country. What we are doing here is quite unique within the Bosch Group”.

Bosch products play a significant role in the Australasian leisure and entertainment industry and are distributed by Jands, an Australian owned company founded in 1970 that distributes some of the world’s most recognised brands of Audio, Lighting and Staging products primarily for the entertainment and corporate industry.

With headquarters in Sydney, a factory in Melbourne and offices in Brisbane and Perth, Jands provide sales and support for a select range of Bosch’s prosound installation audio products from Dynacord and Electro-Voice, including the new IPX Multi-Channel Installation DSP Power Amplifiers, EVID and EVC Series loudspeakers, and the ever-popular EV Innovations range.

General Manager Oceania, Bosch Security and Safety Systems Chris Dellenty enthused “Bosch is well known for our commitment to excellent service and support and by entering into partnership with a strategic national distributor like Jands, who have the expertise to support the needs of the customer, we will continue to provide the quality products and services that people expect when they buy Dynacord and Electro-Voice. Our Prosound team are excited by this alliance, and we look forward to a prosperous long term relationship.”

Bosch’s history of manufacturing at the Clayton campus dates back to the 1950s, when it established a plant to support a growing local automotive manufacturing industry. The ensuing decades of production and engineering saw automotive customers come to depend on Bosch Australia’s expertise for the supply of quality components for local assembly.

However, as the volume of locally produced cars sharply declined the local Bosch manufacturing activities had to be restructured.

Bosch Australia President, Gavin Smith explains “it was a very difficult time. For most of the team supporting our manufacturing operations there really was no future. Then we realised, the capability we had in-house could easily be redirected externally. We gave them time and freedom to see what they could make of it, and now they are flying.”

Managing Director of the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre Dr. Jens Goennemann added “for well over 100 years, Bosch has been at the forefront of manufacturing. Bosch’s commitment to Australia reinforces this country’s importance as a global manufacturing hub, underpinned by innovative organisations and a skilled workforce.”

The new building will comprise 4156m2 of industrial space and workshops, 896m2 of offices, amenities and laboratories, and a further 833m2 for truck and service areas, as well as 74 additional car parking spaces.

With the support of the Victorian Government, the new building brings with it a commitment to create at least 35 new jobs over the next four years.

Furthermore, Bosch Australia will continue to work towards its 2020 carbon neutrality goal by constructing fully insulated, temperature efficient workshops, and installing 1,125 solar panels on the roof of the new building. The 500kw of peak solar power they generate will help to supply approximately 10% of the power consumed at the Clayton site.

Construction of the new facility is expected to be completed by October 2020.

Image: Peter Tyroller, Gavin Smith, and the BAMS team soil turnover