- Sales up more than forecast, by 6.2 percent to 48.9 billion euros
- Sales margin up by nearly one percentage point to 6.1 percent
- Mobility Solutions business sector grows more than twice as fast as the automotive market
- Full acquisitions of ZFLS and BSH strategically complement portfolio
According to preliminary figures, the Bosch Group increased its sales by 6.2 percent in 2014, to 48.9 billion euros. After adjusting for exchange-rate effects, sales growth was 7.2 percent. Sales results were negatively impacted by exchange-rate effects to the tune of nearly 500 million euros. The supplier of technology and services also improved its earnings situation in 2014. According to preliminary figures, Bosch Group earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) came to nearly three billion euros, with an EBIT margin of roughly 6.1 percent. This is roughly one percentage point better than the value for 2013, adjusted for one-off and extraordinary effects. “Despite difficult economic conditions, we managed to meet our business targets for 2014,” said Dr. Volkmar Denner, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH. “Our innovation strategy is paying off. Our business success over the past year is proof of this. In 2014 we further improved our market position and competitiveness in many areas.” In addition, the acquisition of BSH Hausgeräte GmbH and the planned full acquisition of ZF Lenksysteme GmbH will enable Bosch to strengthen its position in the two growth areas of smart homes and automated driving.
In Europe, the sales of the supplier of technology and services grew by some 2 percent in spite of the economic difficulties the region is experiencing.
Worldwide, the Bosch Group’s workforce totaled some 290,000 associates on December 31, 2014. That is some 9,100 more people than in the previous year.
Business development in 2014 by business sector
According to preliminary figures, the Mobility Solutions – formerly Automotive Technology – business sector was able to grow more than twice as fast as the automotive market with its comprehensive portfolio of components, systems, and services. Energy and Building Technology sales in 2014 were roughly on a par with the previous year. In Consumer Goods, Bosch enjoyed a successful 2014 with power tools for professionals and measurement tools. The overall sales of the Industrial Technology business sector were lower than in 2013, after adjusting the 2013 sales figures for consolidation effects, the latest figures are slightly higher.
Seizing business opportunities and finding technological answers
In the years to come, the Bosch Group is aiming to seize the business opportunities that will present themselves through developments in the areas of connectivity, automation, electrification, and energy efficiency, as well as through the increasing importance of emerging markets. “We want to play an active part in shaping the wide-reaching and profound changes to our market and technological environment, and we want to prepare for a connected world,” Denner said. This is particularly true of the Mobility Solutions business sector. Denner went on: “We see ourselves as a supplier of solutions for the mobility of the future, which will be automated, connected, and electrified. That includes components, systems, and software solutions as well as services. Combined with our systems integration competence, this means we are better positioned than almost any other company to develop innovative mobility solutions for our customers.”
In developing its innovative solutions, Bosch still places great importance on local development expertise in emerging markets. “In 2015, too, innovations will be major drivers of our sales growth. Local developments for each market are especially important,” said Denner.
