The Bosch Power Tools Division Can Look Back on 2011 as a Successful Year of Business

The Bosch Power Tools Division can look back on 2011 as a successful year of business: sales increased by more than seven percent to 3.8 billion euros. The division generated 90 percent of its sales outside of Germany. “We have again strengthened our market position”, said Stefan Hartung, president of the division. “We achieved this mainly thanks to nu­merous new products which proved very popular with customers.” After adjusting for currency effects, sales actually increased by about nine per­cent. Bosch Power Tools expects growth of a similar magnitude again this year. The worldwide headcount of this Bosch division averaged some 19,000 associates in 35 locations over the course of 2011, which was about 1,000 more than the previous year. New associates were recruited mainly in Miskolc/Hungary, a manufacturing site of the DIY and garden tools unit. However, Bosch Power Tools also recorded an increase in employment in Germany, where the number of associates rose by about 200 to 3,200. These recruitments were predominantly made in the areas of development and sales. The company is further enhancing its innovative strength with the newly acquired engineers and sales specialists. As in previous years, Bosch Power Tools was able to win market shares again in 2011. While the overall market experienced growth of five percent in 2011, Bosch Power Tools grew by seven percent and therefore faster than the market. The main driving force behind this positive market deve­lopment was the construction industry, especially in Latin America and in Asia/Pacific. Latin America is also the region with the highest market growth of 22 percent in the most important submarket, namely the tools submarket. In Asia/Pacific, demand also rose significantly again to eight percent. Bosch Power Tools also achieved the highest growth rates in these regions. The division’s sales increased by 20 percent in Latin Ameri­ca, and by 17 percent in Asia/Pacific. Product innovations and new distribution channels Bosch Power Tools generated just less than 40 percent of its sales in 2011 with products that have been on the market for less than two years. The division was particularly successful with measuring tools. More and more professional tradespeople and do-it-yourselfers are using these tools to re­place traditional tools such as the spirit level and meter stick. The market share in this sector increased in the past year by two percentage points to about 21 percent. Bosch has been the market leader in this segment since 2010. This position has been further strengthened. One of the success fac­tors is the fact that the tools are easy to operate despite their sophisti­cated technology. Many of the functions are self-explanatory. This makes Bosch measuring tools attractive for more and more new target groups, such as surveyors and exhibition stand builders. The innovative strength of Bosch measuring tools is demonstrated this year by a world first: the GSL 2 Professional surface laser. Professional tradespeople can use this compact instrument, for example when laying screed, to detect surface irregularities – at the push of a button and without having to painstakingly check the entire surface with a slat and a spirit level. Products with a long tradition are also benefiting from the innovative strength: the “Bosch hammer” has already been around for 80 years. To this day, it is the best-selling product in the range of Bosch power tools for professionals. This year, Bosch is presenting two large new hammers that set standards in their class: the eight-kilo rotary hammer and the eleven-kilo breaker. Thanks to their special construction, they generate only little vibration during use. As a result, the operating time permitted by EU legis­lation is increased with both tools to more than three hours per day. Bosch Power Tools is also innovative when it comes to developing addi­tional distribution channels. Under the motto “Tools to go”, customers can in future order DIY tools directly by means of a new type of advertisement poster. These posters display a QR-Code (“Quick Response”) next to the power tools. When this code is read with a smartphone, it leads customers directly to product information and a retailer. The tool can then be ordered immediately from there. Bosch Power Tools plans to set up the first pos­ters with QR-Codes this year. Source: bosch.com