Bosch launches common rail pumps unit in B'lore

Bosch Group has commissioned its first manufacturing facility in India for common rail high pressure pumps used in diesel cars, today in Bangalore.

The company has earmarked Rs 550 crore for the facility out of Rs 1,800 crore investment being made in India between 2005 and 2008.

Bernd Bohr, member, board of management, Robert Bosch GmbH said: "Nearly every automaker in India has announced their entry into the diesel car market. By 2010, our product will be seen in 60% of the diesel cars in India when there will be 1 million diesel cars.

The production line, located at Bosch subsidiary Motor Industries Company (MICO), has an installed capacity of up to 1,000 common rail high pressure pumps per day. Bosch has been manufacturing common rail injector component sets at its Nashik facility since January this year and has a current capacity to produce 4,000 sets per day. The production of complete common rail injectors from the same facility will commence in 2007, Bohr said.

"This investment will go a long way in making the common rail technology easily available and more affordable for the Indian customer. We are investing not only in setting up manufacturing facilities, but also product development, application and testing competencies. With these local competencies we will be able to have shorter development times and also adapt the products to the local requirements more effectively,"
Albert Hieronimus, managing director, MICO said.

"In our global development work for the automobile, we are relying on software specialists from Bangalore and soon also from Coimbatore where our new development centre will be inaugurated shortly," Bohr added.