India can be a manufacturing hub, says Bosch Rexroth

Johannes Thomas Grobe, Managing Director of Bosch Rexroth in India, says India’s participation at the Hannover Messe not only saw the ‘Make in India’ movement take a global dimension but also paved the path for several new investment avenues and stronger economic engagement with India while strengthening the Indo-German economic partnership.

Q: What has been the Bosch Rexroth’s focus on manufacturing in India?

A: Bosch Rexroth is a specialist for drive and control technologies, creating custom solutions for driving, controlling and moving under Rexroth brand. Bosch Rexroth serves as a partner for mobile applications, machinery applications and engineering, factory automation and renewable energies. Bosch Rexroth develops, produces and distributes its components and systems in over 80 countries.

Established in 1974, Bosch Rexroth in India serves customers through facilities at Ahmedabad, Bangalore. Our sales turnover during 2014 was more than Rs 8 billion.

The new state-of-the-art manufacturing plant at Sanand commissioned in 2013 not only manufactures a variety of hydraulic products, but also provides the design of the complete hydraulic equipment and the system.

Q: How has the company matched its global products with those in India?

A: Bosch Rexroth India has got a long standing history in India. We are developing ourselves in line with the market across India. To achieve this, we are designing and manufacturing new product solutions locally in the region. Our new Sanand plant is the basis for our future growth.

We have developed Bosch Rexroth (sales, R&D, manufacturing etc.) in India, training of local staff to develop new components and systems that address the needs of Indian customers which are not covered yet by the existing product portfolio. Bosch Rexroth in India plans to develop in line with market size and need and to achieve this it is imperative to design and to manufacture locally and build up suppliers in the region, thus becoming local.

Q: How do you see Make in India campaign?

A: The Make in India campaign is a bold call to make India a manufacturing hub. The focus is on getting more multinational corporations in the market through the increased foreign direct investment. This campaign has promised some enterprise-oriented policies.

Make in India will create more employment and ensure a more equitable distribution of income across the population and will improve the quality of life of the weaker sections of society.

These investments will also help Bosch Rexroth India to capitalise and grow on the additional opportunities which get created with these new investments.

Q: What has been the experience from the Hannover Messe where India was a partner country?

A: Hannover Messe visitors were delighted with India’s confident, innovative and fresh presence as this year’s Partner Country. India succeeded in positioning itself as an upcoming industrial nation, with more than 400 companies displaying their goods and services at the show. The official Partner Country’s call to Make in India will continue to resonate worldwide galvanising its resurgent position as an investment and manufacturing hub.

Q: How is the Indo-German bilateral economic engagement placed after the visit of PM Modi?

A: India’s participation as the Partner Country in Hannover Messe 2015 has put India back on the minds of German and global investors and business community. Living up to the hope of “opening many more doors” as envisaged by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his inaugural address on evening of April 12, the five days at Hannover Messe not only saw the ‘Make in India’ movement take a global dimension but also paved the path for several new investment avenues and stronger economic engagement with India.