A Report On

Sustainability of Bosch India Ltd.

In partial fulfilment of
Sustainability Course

Submitted by:

Bolla Monika Rao

2015PGP017

About the company:

Robert Bosch GmbH or Bosch, is a German multinational engineering company founded by Robert
Bosch in Stuttgart in 1886. It is the world's largest supplier of automotive components measured by 2011
revenues. Bosch's core products are automotive components (including brakes, controls, electrical drives,
electronics, fuel systems, generators, starter motors and steering systems), industrial products (including
drives

and

controls,

packaging

technology

and

consumer

goods)

and

building

products

(including household appliances, power tools, security systems and thermo-technology).

Bosch employs over 290,183 people in more than 50 countries, supplying a complex distribution network
of new products and parts.

India Operations
Bosch entered India in 1922, when Illies & Company set up a sales office in Calcutta. In 1951, Bosch set
up its first manufacturing plant in India.
Currently, Bosch India has a turnover of over $2 billion and over 26000 employees spread across 10
locations and 7 application development centers. 84% of Bosch India revenues come from its automotive
business, with the remaining 16% split between its non-automotive businesses. In September 2014, Bosch
announced the launch of a locally developed eye-care solution in India. The companys new eye screening
and detection system offers a combination of hardware and software and provides affordable eye care.

Boschs approach towards sustainability:

Sustainabil
ity

Responsibi
lity

Processes

Products

Continuou
s
Improvem
ent

Fig. (i) Principles of Work Safety and Environmental Protection

Fascinating Corporate Research at Bosch
Boschs highly specialized associates all over the world work on technological breakthroughs in fields such as
software development, robotics, or engine management. In this way, new ideas are constantly taking shape that
make existing products even more efficient, more comfortable, safer, and more environment-friendly, while
also opening up entirely new lines of business. Its primary concern is to improve quality of life.

Fig (ii)

Environmental management
For years, Bosch has been working to protect the climate and the environment. This also includes using
natural resources responsibly and continuously reducing energy consumption at its locations. In both
product development and manufacturing, it is working on minimizing the environmental impact of its
activities and continuously improving environmental protection. For this purpose, we have introduced an
environmental management system in accordance with ISO 14001 at all 242 locations worldwide. By
2013, 200 locations had been certified to this internationally recognized standard. This equates to 82.6
percent coverage whereby the research and development facilities of the Automotive Technology
business sector are already completely certified.

Efficient process initiatives for a clean and safe environment

While Bosch products exemplify commitment to the Invented for life motto,
processes and initiatives at all of its locations also serve to highlight the same
commitment.
Energy efficient measures: Harnessing the power of the SunTheir manufacturing locations have defined processes for a cleaner, safer and greener working
environment.
1) The Bangalore Plant

It has installed around 40 sun tubes (daylight harvesting) at the canteen. Sun tubes are
mainly used for the distribution of natural light.

Benefits- Energy consumption reduced by around 23,230 kilowatt-hours (kWh) a year and carbon
dioxide (CO2) emission by 20.9 tons a year.

The administration building at the Plant has installed photovoltaic cells that produce
around 40 kWh of energy for lighting. Apart from this, the Plant also has turbo

ventilators installed on the roof of the hangar. Two types of ventilators have been
installed, one with aluminum coating and the other, stainless steel with epoxy coating. A
total of 698 ventilators have been installed.
Benefits-With an investment of around INR 4.8 million, the manufacturing Plant in Bangalore has
achieved CO savings of 1,364 tons per year and 1,886 MegaWatt-hours (MWh) of energy.

Also in the Bangalore Plant, the flooring is coated with epoxy to prevent oil seepage into
the soil.

2) The Nashik Plant

Ventilation systems in production hangars at the plant are designed with evaporative
cooling system instead of air conditioning.

3) The Verna Plant

Bosch Limiteds newest facility, was designed keeping in mind optimum energy
conservation. Skylights are known to be an environmentally-friendly solution for
brightening industrial premises. By using natural light rather than electricity, skylights
can save energy and reduce dependence on power. In Verna, skylights have been
installed on the hangar roof, ensuring plenty of natural light.
Benefits- Optimal usage of air-conditioning with operational efficiency has resulted in energy savings (up
to 109 MWH/year). Other initiatives like sensors linked to movement-control ensure optimal usage of
lighting. Creating awareness through constant visual representation of power saving has yielded a saving
of more than 640 KWh/year.

Fig (iii) Skylights installed at Verna plant

4) The Naganathapura Plant

Optimization of the existing exhaust system and replacing existing blowers with energy
efficient ones.
Benefits- It was able to achieve an energy conservation of 276MWh per year through effective
implementation. Reduction of CO2 emission by 265 tons.
Waste management:
Bosch is doing its bit to ensure that this precious fresh water supply is not depleted through wanton use.
1) The Naganathapura Plant
Effective implementation of the 3Rs Reduce, Reuse and Recycle . In the electroplating process,
50 percent of the water is recycled. And 116 kiloliters of treated water from the sewage treatment
plant is used for gardening, ensuring that additional fresh water is not used.
Benefits- Reduction in fresh water consumption by 22 percent against 2011 consumption, which
includes reduction of 4.5 percent in various processes.
2) The Verna Plant
Rainwater harvesting has gained importance. Rainwater on the roof is collected through proper
piping and the water fed into an underground storage tank with a capacity of storing more than
one lakh liters. This water is then reused.
3) The Bangalore Plant
It has facilities for effluent treatment, reverse osmosis, ultra filtration, sewage treatment, and a
canteen effluent treatment plant.
The trade effluent treatment plant with a capacity of 250 kiloliter discharge (KLD) was
established in 1991 and treats process effluents such as acid-alkali effluents.
In 2008, a reverse osmosis plant was set up for treated trade effluents. The plant has a
capacity of 200 KLD, and post treatment, permeate (the purest form of recycled water) is
reused in the process while the rejects are blended with the final treated sewage and used
for landscaping and toilet flushing activity.
4) The Bangalore and Nashik Plants are also continuously reducing their usage of hazardous
substances, e.g. through the elimination of Tri chloro Ethylene, lapping paste and cyanides and by
developing alternate processes. Emission of air polluting gasses is monitored and controlled on a
regular basis.
5) The Nashik Plant is a zero discharge facility where processed water is treated at the effluent
treatment plant and sewage water in the sewage treatment plant. The plant is fully automated with
provision for automated chemical dosing, sludge dewatering, batch treatment and supervisory and
data acquisition control. The treated water from both these plants is used for gardening. The ultrafiltration plant, established in 2001, was upgraded in 2009 with a total capacity of 1.2m3/hour at a
cost of INR 15 million. At this facility, oil water separation from the coolant and physical
separation (membrane) is possible apart from being fully automated.
6) As part of the drive to eliminate use of hazardous material, all asbestos roofs have been replaced
with eco-friendly cement sheets at the Nashik Plant.

Fig (iv), Nashik Plant

7) Increased fuel economy through innovative Bosch products: Total cost of ownership is a key
driver in the competitive vehicle market, especially in the commercial vehicle segment. The
exhaust gas after-treatment through selective catalytic reduction technology integrated with
Common Rail Systems for commercial vehicles offers improved fuel efficiency (up to three
percent). This solution fits in well with the concept of economical usage.
8) The start/stop technology from Bosch improves the fuel efficiency of the vehicle (up to eight
percent depending on the usage, driving patterns and segment). The introduction of electronic
fuel injection technology in two-wheelers not only improves the vehicle response and
performance, but also fuel efficiency.
9) Bosch Power Tools with its lithium-ion technology exemplify the advantages of a rechargeable
battery system that not only saves energy, but also offers longer life, protection against overload,
overheating and deep discharge. Bosch Power Tools also provides specific recycling services
where a customer can bring back old power tools, battery chargers and battery packs.

Bosch Limiteds sustained commitment to a clean, green, and safe environment

Bosch Limited believes that it is not just commitment to sustainable product quality, but also commitment
towards developing innovative technology that contributes to the conservation of resources while
minimizing the impact on the environment. Bosch Limited ensures that all locations are compliant with
Bosch norms and standards as well as Indian environment, health and safety regulations. Such
precautions are addressed either through management programs or operational control procedures to
minimize impact as well as mitigate risks. All Plants of the Company have established an integrated
management system in line with ISO 14001:2004(EMS) and OHSAS 18001:2007 requirements.
Its the Companys goal to strive for continuous improvement; to create a cleaner and greener
environment, combined with a concern for occupational safety. Taking responsibility for associates along
with the environment is ingrained in the corporate culture of Bosch. This sense is reflected by Bosch's
long-term sustainability orientation

Success of sustainability initiatives:

Regular audits ensure that the environmental protection measures implemented at the Bosch locations are
effective and help to achieve the defined targets: By 2020, they aim to reduce their CO 2 emissions
(relative to added-value) by 20 percent compared to 2007 and improve their energy efficiency by 20
percent.

Fig (v), Key 2014 figures

A. Awards:
1) Sustainable Initiative on Reusable Packaging Award at the Cummins Vendor
Conference held at Pune in June 2012.
2) The Nashik Plant has won accolades like Golden Peacock Environment Excellence
Commendation Certificate in 2011 and Green Tech Fire Safety Award in 2012.
3) The Jaipur Plant received the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) National award for
Excellence in Water Management, Commendable Performance in Water Management
from the Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation (RIICO)
and the Rajasthan Energy Conservation Award from the Government of Rajasthan in
2012.

Conclusion
According to me, Bosch is doing a great job towards sustainability and is showcasing a very good
example to the world. It shows that just by implementing small changes in the business processes, how a
company can achieve sustainability. This is the reason why Bosch is counted among the worlds most
sustainable companies. The greatest impact of all these measures is the net electrical energy savings of
8.68 Mio .kWh annually. The Company continuously reviews the process to understand their effects on
people and environment. This is how the Company arrives at the weak points and opportunity for
improvement. The Company has various strategies and initiatives towards environmental issues. They are
being built up by Companys EHS policy enlisting the values and commitments. Reduction of carbon foot
print is one of the major objective towards which all the Plants of the Company are working on.
Depending upon the success of its initiatives over the years and its continuous progress, I can say that the
measures taken by Bosch are sustainable in the long run and align with its organizational objectives
without compromising its profitability.