Bosch Opens EUR30M Facility in Vietnam

Automotive supplier Bosch inaugurated today a high-tech facility in Vietnam for the production of push belts used for Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT) in automobiles. So far, Bosch has invested over €30 million (about $43M) into the plant. It is projected to increase this investment to a total of some 55 million euros ($78.8M) and employ 800 associates by 2015.

Situated at Long Thanh Industrial Zone, Dong Nai Province, the plant is part of the Bosch Group's Gasoline Systems division and spans over a land area of 160,000 sqm. It will produce up to 1.6 million push belts in its first year, which can be fitted into vehicles ranging from sub-compact cars to sports utility vehicles with diesel, gasoline or hybrid engines.

“With the majority of our customers for CVT technology located in Asia, we expect our production volume in the new facility to rise to 2.3 million units by 2015 to support the growth of the automobile industry, in particular for the Japanese and Chinese automotive markets,” said Rolf Bulander, President of the Bosch Group's Gasoline Systems division.

Continuously variable transmissions feature maximum gear-shift sophistication and contribute to reduced fuel consumption. Additional benefits of the eco-friendly push belt include the dynamic acceleration, consistently low engine noise and the system's intelligent adaptability to different driving styles to ensure smooth, continuous acceleration

“The fact that electronic control permits continuous variation of the transmission ratio means that customized gear-shift strategies become possible. These can be aligned to fuel-economy or sporting requirements. The very high transmission ratios permit operation at an economical operating point. Bosch's CVT technology uses up to 15 percent less fuel than manual gearboxes. This also reduces carbon dioxide emission by up to 15 percent,” Bosch explains.