Bosch has opened its first center for software development and engineering services in North America in Guadalajara, Mexico. As a first stage, it plans to invest some 5 million US dollars in the 1,800 square-meter IT location in Mexico’s second-largest city, with the initial creation of over 200 engineering jobs.
Werner Struth
“Our investment in Guadalajara underscores our confidence in the region and Mexico’s strategic importance as a manufacturing and development location,” said Werner Struth, member of the Bosch board of management with responsibility for the Americas, at the opening ceremony. “With this step, we want to expand our local software development and engineering services in the Americas, bringing us closer to our customers.”
The international technology and services company already employs more than 300 local engineers, who adapt Bosch products such as electric drives, starters, and generators to the needs of North American customers. The development center in Guadalajara will offer cross-sector programming and application services – primarily to the automotive industry and other Bosch locations in the Americas. These services will include the development and validation of hardware and software for the electronic control units used in automobiles. The center is currently situated on rented premises. In 2016, it is due to become part of the planned “Ciudad Creativa Digital” industrial park, a Mexican government initiative to encourage digital high-tech companies from industries such as software and electronics to settle in the area. Guadalajara, capital of the state of Jalisco, beat out the competition from eleven other Mexican cities to be chosen as the most attractive location for the project. Clinching arguments in its favor were its well-developed infrastructure and highly qualified workforce.
Bosch has invested a total of around 370 million Euros in Mexico over the past ten years and is looking to further expand its activities there in the years to come. “The conditions in Mexico are ideal: a highly skilled workforce, well-developed infrastructure, and an excellent business environment,” says Struth. Many customers – particularly from the automotive industry – already have plants in the country or have plans to locate new production facilities with increasing manufacturing depth there. On top of this, the North American free trade zone NAFTA and over 40 additional trade agreements with other countries create excellent conditions for international business.
The global company has had a presence in Mexico since 1955. In 2012, it had sales of more than 700 million Euros there. Over the past ten years, Bosch’s Mexican workforce has more than doubled to its current size of over 10,000 associates. All the four business sectors – Automotive Technology, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology – are represented in Mexico. In total, the company has eight manufacturing facilities in the country. The largest plants are situated in Toluca and Juarez.
