Bosch Rexroth Enjoys Fourth Consecutive Year of Growth
LOHR, Germany—Bosch Rexroth AG, parent company of Bosch Rexroth Corporation (Hoffman Estates, Ill.), increased sales in 2006 by 7.1 percent to approximately $6.2 billion (4.9 billion Euros). The company achieved this growth in all technology fields and in all regions. Under the brand name of Rexroth, the company offers all drive and control technologies on a specialized and integrated basis.
Orders in 2006 reached about $6.9 billion. Within the same period, the company increased its workforce by about 6 percent to more than 29,800.
For 2007 Bosch Rexroth expects continued growth in sales. “In the business year 2007 Bosch Rexroth AG expects organic growth, at least at previous year’s level,” said Manfred Grundke, chairman of the executive board of Bosch Rexroth AG.
Referring to the significantly higher number of orders received at the beginning of the year 2007, Grundke noted, “We assume that this trend will continue and we are preparing ourselves for this promising future by expanding our capacities and implementing numerous innovations.”
In 2006 Bosch Rexroth increased sales by about 7 percent. Sales grew 16 percent in Middle and Eastern Europe and 14 percent in Asia, including 33 percent growth in China. Sales in North and South America declined slightly in a difficult economic environment. Worldwide, since 2002 Bosch Rexroth has achieved growth of about $1.6 billion an increase of 36 percent. In 2006 the company also increased the number of employees worldwide by over 1,500. This is attributed partially to the additional production capacity implemented in Asia and Europe.
Great investments in innovative solutions
In 2006 Bosch Rexroth invested 295 million in fixed assets, especially toward additional production capacities in Middle and Eastern Europe, Asia and America, and toward efficiency improvements in Germany. The company increased its expenditure for research and development by 14 percent to $276 million, which equals about 4.5 percent of sales in 2006.
Strong growth in wind and sea energy
A leading supplier for wind energy turbines, Bosch Rexroth boosted sales by almost two thirds to about $150 million in 2006. The company expects the demand for renewable power generation systems to continue to rise, in particular in Asia and America. Beyond wind energy, Bosch Rexroth is developing drives and gearboxes for sea power systems in close cooperation with system manufacturers. This technology utilizes flow and waves for the generation of electricity. Still an emerging technology, wave power generation creates outstanding potential for a greater market share of renewable energy worldwide.