Bosch furthers European eBike output with Portuguese investments
Bosch will quickly build upon its recently announced Slovakian eBike production investment by simultaneously investing in Portugal, according to local media.
A team of 300 is reportedly to be recruited in order to build a production team in the Ovar region where Bosch already has a significant presence outside of the eBike division. Added to that tally will be 30 technicians and 21 personnel for an R&D team. This recruitment process is likely to be conducted into the spring of 2023 and starting in January.
The Ovar facility is apparently to focus on the development of controllers, displays and other connectable equipment that can lend to the functionality of the electric bike. The pictured display (above) is the updated Kiox 300 with a new navigation functionality.
There is to be a €6.5 million investment made in the new facility, which aside from the Slovakian plant soon to be under construction, will add to the Braga plant in Germany’s capability.
Clearly seeing much greater potential in a market that can fairly be said to be taking a breather at present, the Ovar plant is not the only investment; a further Braga-based plant will take on the duty of producing sensors, battery management equipment and other components.
“We believe that investing in this new business area is a way to increase our competitiveness”, says the director of Bosch’s Ovar project, António Pereira, who adds that the Ovar investment will “increase the attractiveness of the organization” and “create new opportunities and skills”.
The investments have been alluded to by Bosch eBike Systems CEO Claus Fleischer in an exclusive interview with CI.N, found in our latest magazine, where he speaks on adapting the contents of motors to beat supply constraints, plus investing in localised production.
Pereira echoed this sentiment stating on the investment that it is one way to “reduce dependencies and risks associated with the current moment [of economic uncertainty and in supply chains”.
