AFRICA NEWS
The Bosch Group is
strengthening its business in
Africa and expanding its industrial
technology portfolio on the
continent through the acquisition
of South African company
Hytec, which specialises in
the marketing of hydraulic and
automation solutions. The two
companies have been working
together for more than 50 years.
Hytec has about 40 branch
operations in South Africa,
Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia,
Botswana, Ghana, and Kenya,
and in 2017, the company,
along with its nearly 770
associates, generated sales of
EUR86-million. Following the
acquisition, Hytec will maintain
its existing portfolio of roughly
30 brands under the Hytec
name, and its subsidiaries —
TECTRA, HAW, HFT, HYSA,
Hytec Engineering, and HAS —
will also retain their names.
Population growth in Africa is
expected to see the population
of the continent (which also has
the world’s fastest urbanisation
rate) double to 2.5 billion people
by 2050, according to the
United Nations, with 187 million
Africans expected to be living in
cities within the next 10 years.
This translates to a growing
demand for drive and control
solutions for industrial machinery,
mobile machinery, and major
construction projects.
Bosch strengthens African operations with Hytec acquisition
Cylinder installation at the Roseires Dam, Sudan.
The heavy investments being
made in infrastructure projects
in areas such as construction
and power generation present
considerable opportunities.
In one major project, the two
companies renewed the entire
hydraulic equipment of the
Roseires Dam in Sudan. At
1 800MW, the output of this
dam, situated on the Blue Nile,
is comparable with that of a
nuclear power station.
“Together with Hytec, we
can take better advantage of
the market opportunities in
the African growth industries,”
says Rolf Najork, MD of Bosch
Rexroth. “We are combining
Hytec’s high level of regional
marketing knowledge with Bosch
Rexroth’s product expertise and
technological prowess. This will
be a significant boost to our
business on the continent.”
In recent years, the Bosch
Group has systematically
expanded its presence on
the African continent. Today,
it is represented in 10 African
countries, focusing on offering
affordable solutions and services
for local requirements. Bosch
has been present in Africa since
1906 and has two manufacturing
sites in South Africa, in Brits and
Midrand. According to preliminary
figures, the company generated
sales of some EUR460-million in
Africa in 2017.
In May 2018, Bosch Rexroth
and Hytec will move into new
joint premises in Johannesburg,
which will house marketing
and administration offices, an
assembly line, a service centre,
and a training centre for courses
in hydraulics and automation
technology.
Including the Hytec
workforce, Bosch currently
employs more than 1 500
associates on the continent.
Bosch also actively promotes
talented young people in sub-
Saharan Africa, and in 2008, it
was one of the initiators of Afrika
kommt!, an initiative of German
industry for junior managers
from the region.
APRIL 2018
5