German automotive and workshop equipment manufacturer Beissbarth GmbH is to be restructured by the end of this year and has filed an application with the Munich District Court (Amtsgericht München) to open self-administration proceedings.
At the end of April Bosch launched the latest version of its online diagnostic software. Bosch Esitronic 2.0 is designed to support workshop staff with repair and maintenance tasks. To this end it provides diagnostic data, troubleshooting instructions, maintenance schedules as well as removal and installation instructions for individual components.
China’s automotive production will have to overcome a shortage of European-produced automotive-related chips well into 2021, which could potentially set back industry recovery amid the pandemic, a report from the Independent Commodity Intelligence Services (ICIS) said in mid-December 2020.
Following the news that three tyre manufacturers are listed on the 2020 CDP A list, three brake makers can also be found on the ranking – Brembo, Bosch and Continental. Brembo achieved the best result with As in both climate change and water security. Bosch scored an A in the climate change category.
From September 2020 onwards, all new vehicle models in Europe must be equipped with secure diagnostic access in accordance with EU Regulation 2018/858. This regulation provides for the protection of vehicle electronics against manipulation and unauthorized access. Following FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles), Mercedes-Benz AG, among others, is now also introducing such safety measures in a two-stage concept. By means of update 2020/1.02, workshops using Bosch Esitronic workshop software will receive the necessary software update to perform comprehensive diagnostic, service and repair tasks without any restrictions even on Mercedes-Benz vehicles with secured diagnostic access.
First, analysts warned in mid-May that Conti’s R&D budgets and European tyre factories could face cuts. Then the Hannover-based tyremaker responded by saying it is “intensively” monitoring European tyre demand and production. By June the CEO was warning staff of job cuts. Nevertheless, despite such clear challenges facing the wider automotive industry and beyond, the company is still advancing innovative solutions to the very complex problem. Colleagues at our German sister-publication, Neue Reifenzeitung, which can be found online at reifenpresse.de, found that the so-called “Corona bridge” concept is at the forefront of Conti’s work to address the adverse conditions and save jobs.
Bosch is set to acquire Unipart Group’s (UG) Automotive Aftermarket workshop programmes in the UK. These programmes include the Unipart Car Care Centres (UCCC), a network of independently run garages, the KiS online garage management software, which helps to organise all daily workshop activities, and the Unipartner Consumer App. It is planned for all existing customer contracts to be transferred to Bosch. According to Bosch, “It has been agreed that the purchase price will not be disclosed”.
According to auditing and consulting company PwC, more than 470 million connected vehicles will be plying the world’s roads and motorways by 2025. This significant growth will be accompanied by rising demand for aftermarket software and data services, and vehicle connectivity will become a decisive factor for the sector’s future expansion. CLEPA, the European Association of Automotive Suppliers, anticipates that the market for software and data services in Europe alone will treble to approximately 34 billion euros –about 140 euros per vehicle – by the middle of the next decade.
German equity investment company Stargate Capital GmbH has entered into an agreement to purchase the Beissbarth GmbH and Sicam Srl subsidiaries from Robert Bosch GmbH. The purchase price has not been disclosed, and the deal’s finalisation is subject to approval from antitrust authorities.
The Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF) has announced that two new members have joined the IAAF council, increasing its pool of experienced industry professionals to further strengthen its ranks. The council, a voluntary group of aftermarket individuals that come together regularly to debate industry issues and IAAF policy, welcomes both Kevin Kelly, sales director at Bosch and Chris Chapman, head of sales at Moove Lubricants.
The latest edition of GSF Car Parts Garage Essentials catalogue reflects recent optimism at the company around its range of tyre equipment, which it says has “proved particularly successful… during a buoyant 2017.” The increased range of options includes solutions from Tecalemit, Bosch and Hofman, and features an all new EAE package, combining an automated tyre changer with assist arm and wheel balancer, packaged together for just over £2,000.
Over 500 exhibitors are expected to attend the 2018 Automechanika Birmingham event and stand space is said to be selling fast. Among others, exhibitors include: Delphi, Hella, Liqui Moly, MANN+HUMMEL, Bosch, Snap-On, Milwaukee Tools, Gates Power Transmission, GroupAuto, Texa, Draper Tools, Dura, JHM Butt, ITW, ISN, Certas Energy and others.
Mary Creagh MP, chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, has written to John Hayes MP, Minister of State at the Department for Transport, to express the Committee’s concerns around the lack of progress of applying fixes to cars equipped with ‘defeat devices’, with a third of cars remaining unfixed.
Meanwhile, On 30 October 2017 Judge Charles Breyer of the US District Court for the Northern District of California upheld car dealers’ arguments that Bosch’s involvement with the VW defeat device emissions scandal violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, the same law used to bring charges for mafia-related crime and other organized racketeering.
Bosch has introduced its BAT 645 and BAT 690 battery chargers for all types of car and commercial vehicle batteries to the UK. The chargers feature 45 or 90 ampere of continuous current output, automatic detection of the required nominal voltage, and application for 12-volt car batteries and 24-volt commercial vehicle batteries alike.
Bosch has been chosen by the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) to help provide its technicians with the key training required to assess air conditioning repairs and refrigerant handling. Bosch will provide the required training to achieve IMIAL Level 3 Award in Automotive Refrigerant Handling to a number of the IMI’s External Quality Assurers (EQAs).
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Johannes Plenio; Pexels
Bosch
Continental AG