Bosch Reiterates Commitment to the Aftermarket, Stands Firm on Protecting R&D Investments

Robert Bosch LLC remains committed to providing innovative, high-quality products to the aftermarket, and is equally committed to protecting its intellectual property, says a senior executive.

While the main impact of the economic crisis of the last year hit the OEM sector–the overall Bosch Group saw sales drop 15%–the performance of the independent aftermarket has given Odd Joergenrud, regional president, Automotive Aftermarket, North America, cause for confidence.

“The Bosch automotive aftermarket business did not fully escape the global financial crisis. Bosch OES channel business was negatively affected,” says Joergenrud. “However, Bosch [independent aftermarket] business had a reasonably stable year, experiencing growth throughout 2009 for North America. We have seen substantial strengthening over the first quarter.”

Pivotal in its performance in the sector is the investment in innovative products such as its bracketless wiper blades, but this also brings the need to protect the investments required to create these products.

“Bosch is firmly committed to providing the high-quality, innovative products required to meet the demands of its customers. These high-performance, safe, and eco-friendly products often require a long development process involving multiple patents. Going back to our founder, Bosch believes that quality is the most important asset we have to offer to our customers and we spare no time or expense to ensure that we deliver just that. Quality, safety, and environmental responsibility are what ‘Invented for Life’ is all about.

“We value our relationship with our aftermarket customers and appreciate the opportunity to work together to grow and strengthen our respective businesses. As the world’s original equipment and innovation leader, we are committed to providing our customers with the innovative aftermarket products and services they require to serve their customers.

“We believe by bringing these values to the market, we strengthen all of our markets and we look forward to continuing to invest in this future growth for the aftermarket. That’s why Bosch is an enthusiastic supporter of the AASA Know Your Parts initiative.”