Bosch had the largest stand space at Automechanika and used this prominent position to introduce products, services and training initiatives to prepare workshops for the future. Robert Hanser, president of the Bosch Automotive Aftermarket division said, “Considering rapid technological changes, the objective is to support workshops with equipment, know-how and services and thus to secure their future.”
Hanser explained how the company has been transformed through the targeted acquisitions thirteen companies throughout the last six years. Among the more recent acquisitions is the Unipoint Group in Taiwan, while the acquisition of the American company SPX Service Solutions is progressing to further enhance the range of diagnostic solutions available.
One of the main thrusts of Bosch activity at Automechanika was the promotion and demonstration of its workshop software Esitronic 2.0. It was shown how this is now moving towards becoming a hugely powerful self-learning diagnostic tool. Through an online connection the future package Esitronic live once installed onto a Bosch diagnostic equipment will be continuously updated with the most up-to-date Bosch data. Also wherever a workshop mechanic successfully solves a problem with the help of Esitronic, the diagnostic process is analyzed by the Bosch server. If a mechanic somewhere else is confronted with the same problem on the same vehicle model, this successful diagnostic process is offered to him. The system thus learns from practical experiences resulting from everyday workshop life. This simplifies and accelerates troubleshooting and thus increases the workshop efficiency.
Bosch also showed plans to allow workshop professionals to use a new Bosch workshop online community “Open Innovation Platform” in order to discuss technical questions, share experiences and to enter into dialogue with Bosch workshop specialists.
The Automechanika Trade event also saw the introduction of many new Bosch equipment items and support services.