Bosch Taiwan, the local branch of Germany’s top technology and services supplier, shied away from betting on its performance this year due to uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, although its revenue last year soared 26 percent year-on-year to NT$20 billion (US$672 million).
However, Bosch Taiwan managing director Jan Hollmann said that the company could sustain its strong position and even increase its market share in Taiwan.
“We cannot give a forecast for 2020 because this year is atypical for Bosch due to the global economic downturn and the many imponderables,” Hollmann told a media gathering last week.
Bosch Taiwan aims to increase its number of staff to nearly 500 this year, from 450 last year, due to the recent establishment in Taichung of the Bosch eBike headquarters for the Asia-Pacific region and an expansion of engineering expertise required for video surveillance, Hollmann said.
The firm’s mobility solutions sector continued to contribute the most to sales in Taiwan last year, while an anti-lock braking system for two-wheelers was its main growth driver, he said.
Bosch’s showing had a lot to do with its prevailing market share and demand driven by a government subsidy scheme, Hollmann said.
In addition, Bosch’s microelectromechanical systems sensor business posted double-digit growth in revenue on the back of business acquisitions and global demand for consumer electronics such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, wearables and hearables, he said.
The industrial technology business unit’s performance was in line with the local market’s development, Hollmann said.
Bosch Rexroth, a subsidiary of the Bosch Group, also fared well, thanks to its motion-control products supplied to the semiconductor industry, Hollmann said.
The household appliance business continued to deliver promising results on the back of dishwasher sales, which were attributable to a money-back-guarantee campaign launched late last year, he said.
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