Top of the class again with good growth

To do business you need products. And this year Bosch Power Tools again has a number of new ones to introduce to the public (v. report on Bosch products). This innovative strength is what leads the company from Leinfelden-Echterdingen to expect positive figures for 2012 as well. “With more than 100 new products we want to consolidate and further extend our market leadership in tools and accessories for professional tradesmen and do-it-yourselfers,” said Stefan Hartung, president of the Power Tools division, at the traditional press conference in Leinfelden-Echterdingen. “Even if the economy should weaken slightly we intend to continue to grow this year and win further market share,” he continued. This optimism is no accident. Indeed, the figures that Bosch Power Tools presented for 2011 are pretty impressive. Global sales rose to € 3.8 bn, which represents an increase of seven per cent on the previous year. “That was actually nine per cent if you take the effects of the exchange rate against the US dollar out of the calculation,” said Hornung. Bosch employed a workforce of around 19 000 worldwide in 2011, 1 000 more than the previous year. The increase is mainly down to the works in Miskolc, Hungary, where Bosch manufactures DIY and garden tools. Bosch market research reveals that the global market for power tools itself experienced growth of five per cent to € 23.1 bn in 2011, which means that Bosch outperformed the market. As Hartung notes, the striking thing here is the trend towards brand-name tools. For while the growth by value of power tools came to six per cent, growth in terms of quantity was just four per cent. The market is being driven in particular by products with lithium-ion storage batteries and by measuring tools. The latter were able to expand by eleven per cent, though from a relatively low level. The market for DIY products in Europe grew by two per cent in 2011. “Bosch was again able to grow more strongly in this division than the market did, achieving seven per cent more sales than the previous year,” said Henning von Boxberg, a member of the executive management. The essential precondition for this success was responding to the wishes of customers. Here Bosch currently perceives three trends above all: the increase in individualisation, the desire for products that are easy to operate, and energy-efficient living. All three trends are reflected in the new products that are being introduced this year. The German market for hand-held…