GreenTech: Bosch sales with solutions for industry reach the billion mark
Industrial technology is growing thanks both to various sectors of the economy moving toward climate neutrality and to the emergence of a circular economy. “Without capital goods, the ecological transformation of business would not be conceivable. Industrial technology enables the sustainable transformation of different sectors of the economy,” Hartung says. Bosch is developing solutions that conserve resources, reduce energy consumption, protect the environment, and mitigate global warming. In 2022, Bosch generated sales of more than 1 billion euros with environmental technology for industry – a year-on-year increase of 25 percent. In other words, Bosch reached its sales target for 2023 one year earlier than planned. And the company is continuing to expand its GreenTech portfolio. Bosch Rexroth, for example, is launching its eLION portfolio solutions for the electrification of mobile machinery such as excavators, wheel loaders, and tractors. With over 80 motor variants, graded according to power and size, the company offers the broadest range in the industry, helping to reduce carbon emissions on construction sites, in mining, and in ports. International customers such as Sennebogen and Kalmar Cargotec are already using the new Bosch drives in their products, and in this way driving forward the electrification of mobile machinery. The demand for GreenTech is also increasing in factories. As a result of climate-action measures, companies are modernizing their installed machinery and equipment on the one hand and building new manufacturing facilities on the other, for example for batteries and fuel cells. At Hannover Messe, Bosch is showcasing manufacturing technology for battery production – and for recycling. “The only way we can make a success of electromobility is if we recover the raw materials we use,” Hartung says. Bosch Rexroth has developed an automated battery discharge system that not only simplifies recycling, but is also more efficient than manual processes. The technology is being used for the first time by REMONDIS and Rhenus Automotive at their Magdeburg site in Germany.
Hydrogen: Bosch is relying on its own know-how for technology development
In addition to storage media such as batteries, “conversion artists” such as fuel cells are important elements of a climate-neutral future. At Hannover Messe, Bosch is presenting stationary solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) with an overall efficiency of more than 85 percent. These distributed energy converters are currently being tested in some 60 pilot plants. One of them is the Hydrogen Campus in Salzgitter, Germany: at this Bosch site, ten SOFC fuel-cell systems have been integrated into the plant’s energy supply system. Bosch is aiming to launch the stationary fuel cells commercially in 2025. The components are manufactured using Bosch’s own know-how and technology. From cell to stack to the overall system: Bosch’s special-purpose machinery unit supplies more than 50 percent of the manufacturing equipment required for fuel-cell production. In the future, the Bosch portfolio will also feature components for electrolyzers. The market launch for the heart of the electrolyzer, known as the stack, is planned for 2025.
Industry 4.0: Bosch software conserves resources
Energy, factory supplies, raw materials – resources are rare and precious. “Our response to shortages is efficiency. Anyone looking to manufacture sustainably needs to adopt Industry 4.0,” Hartung says. For example, Bosch Connected Industry’s Nexeed Industry 4.0 software increases plant effectiveness in factories by an average of 5 percent, cuts maintenance costs by 25 percent, and reduces waste. Nexeed is already being put through its paces in more than half of Bosch’s roughly 240 plants and at more than 100 international customers. Software also helps combine conventional and novel technologies. One example is hydraulics: for more than 200 years, fluid mechanics have been used whenever large loads need to be moved with minimal effort, for example in plastics machinery or presses. Thanks to load-dependent control, Bosch Rexroth variable-speed pump drives are now always in the optimum operating mode. They switch to standby mode when not in use. Compared to conventional drives, this reduces the hydraulic systems’ energy consumption by up to 80 percent.
Automation: Bosch technology reduces complexity
Aging society, labor shortages, limited resources in general: the challenges are mounting. Bosch is focusing on an education and training campaign and on technology that supports companies and relieves workers of certain tasks. Bosch Rexroth’s ctrlX AUTOMATION modular automation system, for example, understands over 30 programming languages and allows users to develop their own apps and services. More than 600 customers already rely on this pioneering form of automation. “The only way we can overcome the pressing challenges of our time is by joining forces to make more of a difference. ‘Co-creation’ and making systems open for others are important considerations here,” Hartung says. Bosch Rexroth is pursuing this approach in hydraulics as well. Whereas control technology was previously tied to hardware, the company has now transferred this to software modules. This means mechanical engineers can continue to use existing automation architectures; specific hydraulics know-how is no longer required.
Automation also supports workers directly, for example by relieving them of monotonous or strenuous tasks. At Hannover Messe, Bosch Rexroth is showcasing articulated, fine-motor lightweight cobots that reach around corners in seven axes and help workers load, palletize, and inspect workpieces. These cobots are in demand. The global market for industrial automation is growing rapidly: while sales of automation technology were just under 200 billion euros in 2021, they are expected to grow to more than 400 billion euros globally by 2030 – with annual growth rates of over 8 percent (source: Precedence Research, 2022). “Megatrends such as digitalization, an aging society, and efforts toward greater sustainability are driving the demand for automation. Factory automation is a strategic business area for Bosch in which we aim to achieve double-digit growth every year – and thus grow faster the market,” Hartung says.