Bosch’s Brabant division is the international driving force behind transmission technology

The automobile industry around the world employs the innovative belt CVTs manufactured by Bosch Transmission Technology. The company invented the CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) for cars and is one of the market leaders when it comes to pushbelt production. The competence centre of this international player for CVT technology is located in Tilburg, Brabant, where the company is readying itself for further growth in production, and the staff are rearing to tackle the latest automotive trends.

Bosch Transmission Technology’s CVT concept has been the world standard for automatic transmissions in the automobile industry for years, with over 70 models released by a wide variety of marques equipped with the CVT technology that was developed in Brabant. While Japan still leads the fold when it comes to interest in the continuously variable transmission, the USA and Europe have also witnessed considerable growth.

“Japan accounts for a substantial part of our turnover,” Detlef Classe, the general manager of Bosch Transmission Technology, explains. “But, thanks in part to the increasing demand for green products, we have also witnessed a dramatic increase in demand for CVTs in Europe. The tax measures engaged by countries to promote low-energy vehicles have been a major factor in this. Due to the flexibility and the applicability of our product, we can equip hybrid vehicles as well as petrol and diesel ones with CVTs. Our concept is most attractive when it comes to reducing fuel consumption, and hence CO₂ emissions.”

New concepts
Automakers aside, a large part of Bosch Transmission Technology’s client-base consists of leading transmission manufacturers such as JATCO and Punch Powertrain. “We work closely with these companies,” Classe says. “From standard to customised – that’s how you could label our approach. We work on the basis of a number of standard solutions, but adjust them according to customer-specific requirements.” Staff in Tilburg are continuously working on new developments in the field of CVTs. “We have adopted a pioneering role in that and invest considerable amounts in research and development,” Classe explains. “Of the over 900 people employed here, some 130 are engaged in product improvement and innovations. Ever more modern systems are constantly being developed, and we supply the knowledge and components for these. Just consider, for example, the new and smaller cars that are being constructed in Asia.”

Bosch’s involvement in the fast paced developments in the automotive industry can also be seen in Brabant, where the company is considering participating in training courses that may in the future be hosted by the Automotive Campus in Helmond. The company also collaborates intensively with universities in various countries, including the Eindhoven University of Technology in Brabant. “At Bosch Transmission Technology we’re talking about a knowledge-intensive product,” is how Classe describes the collaboration. “We also glean that knowledge from the Bosch company at large. This is a significant strength of the company and, together with other business units within the Gasoline Systems division, we are able to gain an overview of the entire powertrain.”

Double the output
Classe considers the latest developments in the automotive industry to be a challenge for Bosch. “We still don’t know where the developments like the electric car and the use of, for example, biofuels may take us. But what is certain is that we can and will respond to new trends. I expect that, as of 2015, some seven to eight million cars will be manufactured annually that are equipped with CVT. This ups our chances of doubling production by that time. Current production amounts to around 2.2 million pushbelts per annum.”

The international significance of Bosch in Tilburg, Brabant, is unprecedented, a fact that can also be seen in the staff. “We have people from 35 different countries here,” the general manager says. “The international orientation that we encounter in Brabant is of great importance to our company. The high quality of engineering in the region also appeals to us, and we still consider Tilburg a great place to set up shop. We are close to the Port of Rotterdam and to international airports and, last but not least, we gain a great deal from the knowledge infrastructure in Brabant. The local and provincial authorities also keep their end up in that respect.”