Annual press conference 2014 in Petaling Jaya Bosch maintains steady momentum in Malaysia Local development of innovative technologies for the global market

 Malaysia remains Bosch’s third-largest revenue contributor within Southeast Asia 
 Connected technologies to increase automotive safety
 Bosch expects worldwide sales growth of between 3 to 5 percent in 2014

Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, 11 June, 2014 – Malaysia continues to be the third-largest revenue contributor within Southeast Asia for Bosch, a leading global supplier of technology and services. Total net sales in the country increased by 20 percent to RM 2.9 billion (698 million euros) in 2013. This figure includes sales of non-consolidated companies and internal deliveries to other Bosch companies. Consolidated sales to third parties in the local market registered a slight dip compared to 2012, and came to RM 485 million (116 million euros). This was mainly due to extraordinary effects such as increased austerity that cools spending by consumers and businesses.

Bosch’s manpower in Malaysia increased by around 3 percent to almost 2,100 employees over the course of 2013, constituting the largest associate number in Southeast Asia with over 45 percent.

(L-R) Michael Goh, Head of Department for Automotive Aftermarket, Martin Hayes, President of Bosch Southeast Asia and Managing Director of Bosch Malaysia and Dr. Harald Dirsch, commercial managing director of Bosch’s Car Multimedia division in Malaysia showcasing the locally produced eCall Emergency Calling System, an innovative emergency call system which is incorporated into vehicles utilising the same sensors which trigger the deployment of safety airbags.

“Bosch remains on the course of growth in Malaysia. Our business divisions developed positively, we expect demand for our products and services to increase as purchasing power across the Southeast Asia region grows. Our figures for the first quarter of 2014 in Malaysia are very encouraging and our sales in the local market are expected to rise accordingly this year,” said Martin Hayes, president of Bosch Southeast Asia and managing director of Bosch Malaysia.

In 2013, the Thermotechnology division more than doubled its sales in Malaysia due to project developments within the food and beverage, oleochemical, and latex industries. The Power Tools, Automotive Aftermarket, and Drive and Control Technology divisions progressed at a steady pace. The Car Multimedia division saw a year-on-year increase of over 40 percent in sales, largely attributed to increasing global demand for in-car infotainment technologies.

Technologies developed and manufactured in Malaysia for global market
“Our business divisions are delivering a wide portfolio of innovative products and solutions invented for life for the Malaysian market. Additionally, Malaysia is one of our key locations in Asia to develop world-class technologies for both the local and global markets,” said Martin Hayes.

The Connectivity Control Unit (CCU), for example, is an integral module for the eCall system developed by the Car Multimedia manufacturing plant in Penang which is already available on the European market. Based on pan-European standards, eCall is an innovative emergency system that transmits data such as location and time to centralised monitoring centres when an accident occurs. These centres then relay critical information that are triggered by sensors within the vehicle to emergency rescue services, thus reducing their response times to the scene of accident, especially in rural areas.

“Bosch is at the forefront of automotive safety with the Internet of Things (IoT), such as connecting vehicles onto the internet, which eCall is an example for,” said Hayes. “Malaysia’s landscape is well-suited to deploy these connected technologies. Coupled with accident preventive equipment in the vehicle such as Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Stability Program® (ESP), the technologies will save lives by increasing driving safety and reducing the number of accident fatalities.”

In its Power Tools manufacturing plant in Penang, Bosch develops and produces its Rangefinder series for the global market which consists of precision measurement tools equipped with laser technology. Production reached close to one million units in 2013 and is expected to double in 2014.

Asia remains important growth market for Bosch
In Asia Pacific, Bosch achieved sales growth of 5.8 percent (13.8 percent after adjusting for exchange-rate effects) to roughly RM 46.4 billion (11.1 billion euros). Especially in the Chinese growth market, demand for automotive and industrial technologies picked up significantly over the course of the year.

In Southeast Asia, Bosch closed its 2013 fiscal year at RM 2.6 billion (629 million euros) in consolidated sales on the domestic market, remaining at a similar level from the year before. The total net sales of RM 5.8 billion (1.4 billion euros), which includes deliveries to other Bosch companies, amounted to a year-on-year increase of almost 10 percent. Southeast Asia is currently one of the most important growth regions for Bosch. Over the past several years, the company entered the emerging countries of Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, and expanded its presence in Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.

Bosch Group business outlook for 2014
Bosch expects sales to grow by between 3 and 5 percent in 2014 worldwide. Internet-enabled products and internet-based services are one of the focal points of the company's future business. With its hardware know-how and broad technological expertise, the supplier of technology and services is well prepared to move into this direction. “Bosch’s traditional strengths – our innovative strength, high standard of quality, global presence, and the integrative force of our corporate culture – are also valuable in the connected world,” said Dr. Volkmar Denner, the Bosch CEO. Moreover, Bosch is global market leader in the area of micromechanical sensors (MEMS), a key technology when it comes to networking things on the internet. Sensors enable a new form of technical assistance in day-to-day life – in automated driving, for example, or the smart home. Bosch’s strategic objective is to create solutions for connected mobility, connected manufacturing, connected energy systems, and connected buildings.

AIMS and INTI Partner to Drive More Industry-Relevant Academia

Data centre professionals to be involved in learning programmes and industry projects at INTI; Internship and job opportunities to be created with leading data centre player for graduates

KUALA LUMPUR, 9 June, 2014 – The AIMS Group (AIMS) and INTI International University & Colleges (INTI) today announced a joint partnership under the ‘INTI Corporate Partner’ (ICP) initiative to provide INTI students with more industry-specific programmes that are crucial to prepare them for their future career and boost their employability.

CEO of AIMS Group, Chiew Kok Hin, shares that while 4.4 million IT jobs will be created globally by 2015 to support the growth of big data, unfortunately only one-third of the jobs will be filled.

He says, “Gartner’s research finding strongly indicates that one of the current global problems is the lack of relevant talents, as students are not equipped with the right set of industry-specific skills.

“And this is precisely why AIMS has embarked on this partnership with INTI, which is to contribute our industry expertise by providing our input into academic programmes, to ensure that they are industry-relevant and are in tandem with changes that affect the industry.”

AIMS - one of the leading carrier-neutral data centres in Malaysia and South East Asia - will be working with INTI – an education establishment that has been at the forefront of higher education for over two decades in the country – to share their industry expertise and knowledge, in order to ensure that INTI provides the latest industry-relevant curriculum. AIMS will also provide guest speakers from senior management level, sponsor specific employer projects and offer INTI students’ internship opportunities at AIMS that can potentially lead to job offers.

“At the same time, this partnership with INTI, provides a platform for AIMS employees to ‘give back to the society’ by taking part in the education process by becoming guest speakers. INTI students will definitely benefit from this as they will get first-hand knowledge from corporate professionals who are actively involved in the operations of the data centre and outsourcing industry,” he adds.

Jeffery Goh, Chief Executive of INTI International College Kuala Lumpur (IICKL) says, “We are incredibly pleased with our partnership with AIMS, as this is in line with one of the pillars of our mission, which is to provide the most innovative education. By providing academic programmes which are vetted by industry players, we are putting them in touch with current industry trends and issues, which are invaluable learnings that will give them the edge over their peers.”

“Our hope is to be able to mould a generation of highly-skilled employees from INTI. At the same time, we wish to provide an effective placement system for graduates that meet the exact requirements of the local outsourcing and data centre industry by way of internship opportunities at AIMS, leading on to full-fledged careers in this specialised ICT field,” explains Chiew.

This AIMS-INTI partnership will also benefit AIMS employees who will have the opportunity to mould the minds of future leaders by being guest speakers and sharing real-world challenges so students can start thinking about how to apply their academic knowledge to solve these issues.

“On the other hand, INTI will also offer scholarships as well as fee rebates for AIMS employees who want to further their studies at INTI. This will encourage a culture of continuous learning amongst AIMS employees to keep up with specialised knowledge,” adds Chiew.

“We hope that more corporate partners, such as AIMS, will come forward to collaborate with us in order to provide our students with the right skillsets and competencies that are critical to the growth and future of our nation,” Goh ends.

To find out more, please visit www.aims.com.my or www.newinti.edu.my