2014 Automechanika Frankfurt
Bosch: Pushing Connectivity Forward in Workshops
2014 Automechanika Frankfurt
As a result of increasing connectivity, Bosch Automotive
Aftermarket expects regional and structural changes in
the business for vehicle replacement parts, car workshop
equipment, and automotive services. “When it comes
to innovative strength, international presence, and a
willingness to invest, market players have ever-higher
expectations,” says Dr Uwe Thomas, president of Bosch
Automotive Aftermarket. “We aim to actively shape the
changes ahead,” he says.
Driver mobility is the main focus of Bosch strategy. This
is why the company invests in developing new solutions
throughout the entire value added chain. These include
everything from replacement parts, software, and
diagnostic technology to the consistent broadening of
the service o ffering. Increasing vehicle networking calls
for the development of new solutions. In 2013, Bosch
Automotive Aftermarket continued to expand its automotive
replacement parts, diagnostic devices, and workshop
equipment businesses, especially in North America and
Asia.
➲ Bosch supports workshops with augmented reality in
maintaining and repairing vehicles in the future. Information is
superimposed onto the real object displayed on a tablet or a
Smartphone
For the current year, Thomas expects growth to be
moderate. Europe, Germany and France continue to drive
growth, and markets in Spain and the UK are recovering
well. Markets in North America, Japan, and especially
China, are currently very dynamic.
The company has significantly expanded its presence
in North America, mainly as a result of the completed
integration of SPX Service Solutions, the US supplier
that was acquired in 2012. “We have expanded and
improved our diagnostics segment, and our independent
business in the NAFTA region has been strengthened
considerably,” says Dr Hans-Peter Meyen, the Automotive
Aftermarket board member responsible for diagnostics
and development. Today, the Bosch “Automotive Service
Solutions” segment plays an important role in the division’s
growth strategy.
| words in action
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➲ “Extra” reward system - “Extra” has participants in
19 countries and so far 50 000 workshops all over Europe have
registered for the reward system. “Extra” is also in South Africa
“The more electronics are built in to the car, the greater the
need for diagnostics technology. We meet this need with
a well-structured portfolio of brands and products,” says
Meyen.
Digital communication and data networking are playing
an increasingly important role in workshops, and in the
future, workshops will be able to continuously monitor the
status of customers’ vehicles and recommend a repair in
advance if necessary. As they move into the workshop,
augmented reality applications also contribute to reducing
costs. Such apps give Smartphones and tablets x-ray vision
of sorts: if workshop employees point their mobile devices
at panelling in the vehicle, the corresponding app displays
the components behind it. At the same time, additional
information such as work instructions, required tools, or
even training videos can also be shown. This makes the
repair process easier, as subsequent work steps are clearly
planned and unnecessary assembly work can be avoided.
“For us, all of this is just the first step toward augmented
reality. We see major potential for additional solutions, for
instance in the areas of technical training or service,” says
Meyen.
➲ Smartphone-App “fun2drive.” Using the free-of-charge
Bosch app “fun2drive”, the Smartphone turns into the personal
information and diagnostic centre of the car driver. With this app,
exhaust-relevant error codes and a variety of up-to-date engine
data read outs at the vehicle’s OBD interface can be displayed
november 2014