Bosch Starts Construction of New Center for Research and Advance Engineering in Renningen, Germany

With a symbolic ground-breaking ceremony, representatives of the Bosch Group, the municipality of Renningen and the district of Böblingen officially marked the start of construction for the Robert Bosch GmbH research and advance engineering center.

The new research campus in Renningen is to become the new hub of the Bosch Group’s global research and advance engineering activities. Over the next two years, a total of 14 new buildings will be erected. The total size of the new center will be almost 110,000 square meters. The construction costs amount to around €160 million.

The company sees the new location as a clear expression of its commitment to the Stuttgart region and to the state of Baden-Württemberg as a center of technological excellence. The first 1,200 associates are set to begin working in Renningen in the spring of 2014. Their research work activities will focus on materials and methods, and technologies, as well as on the development of new systems, components and manufacturing processes. At the moment, these activities and the relevant units are spread at locations in the greater Stuttgart area.

“By networking our engineers and researchers even more closely, we are encouraging creativity and speeding up the transfer of knowledge between our business units,” said Dr. Klaus Dieterich, president of corporate research and advance engineering at Bosch. “In the future, Renningen will be an important hub in our international research network. In addition, we are involved in over 250 partnerships with universities, research institutes, and industry partners,”

The two- to three-story laboratory and workshop buildings will be connected via paned bridges and transparent connecting buildings. The open building style and short paths between the buildings aim to promote communication and interdisciplinary cooperation. The middle of the campus will feature generous green spaces and bodies of water. The central building, which will be 60 meters high, will be the site’s main eye catcher. For the buildings themselves, experts are currently cooperating with Bosch associates to come up with an innovative office and workplace concept. Here, too, the aim is to create the best possible conditions for the 1,200 associates.

In its plans for the new site, Bosch has placed a great deal of importance on eco-friendly building technologies. The aim is to use materials and equipment that help conserve resources. The planned heat recovery from the laboratory and workshop buildings will cover about 50% of the entire site’s heating needs. Moreover, the rainwater collected in the location’s ponds and underwater wells will serve to cool the buildings. Combined with the use of a membrane water treatment system, some 30,000 cubic meters of clean drinking water per year can be saved.

Solar power stations are set to be installed on the grassy roofs of the buildings. Bosch will also install its own products and systems in other areas, such as heating, air conditioning and access control. The company will also equip the buildings with Bosch intruder and fire alarms.

When the initial building permits were granted a few weeks ago, Bosch had already prepared the construction site and begun ground-shaping and excavation work. The first building to be constructed is the central building. The foundation stone is expected to be laid before the end of this year. By the start of 2013, all civil engineering work is expected to be completed, at which point the interior design of the building can begin. Once the first building is completed in the spring of 2014, associates will gradually be moved to Renningen from other locations in Stuttgart. The move is expected to be completed by the fall of 2014.

Bosch aims to keep the impact of the construction project on the region’s flora and fauna to a minimum. Inevitable effects on the ecosystem will be minimized and offset through efforts to maintain the ecological balance. To this end, the company plans to spend a seven-figure sum. Ecological balance efforts include improving the water quality of a local lake, renaturalizing a local pond, and planting new fruit orchards. For the rare animal species whose habitat is on the north end of the property, new habitats beyond the property have already been created.

In addition to these measures, Bosch has removed materials left behind by the German military from the property, as well as from the neighboring former training grounds. It will also decontaminate the former landfill for household and commercial waste.

Bosch applies for an average of 16 patents every working day. This puts Bosch among the global leaders with regard to patents filed. In Germany, Bosch takes the number one spot. In 2012, the global provider of technology and services is expected to spend €4.6 billion on R&D. The sum, which is €400 million euros higher than in 2011, will go toward developing new systems, components, technologies and methods. By the end of 2012, Bosch is expected to have some 43,000 researchers and engineers working at 86 locations worldwide, about 4,500 more than at the start of the year.

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In the areas of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods and building technology, more than 300,000 associates generated sales of €51.5 billion in fiscal 2011.