Bosch opens co-working space to automotive business

The Australian campus of global manufacturer Bosch has opened its doors to Doftek, an innovative Victorian automotive technology company in a new co-working space.

The co-location inaugurates of Bosch’s new ‘Multi-Functional Co-Working Space’ designed to support early-stage companies developing products and systems that align with Bosch’s core interests.

Bosch has largely exited manufacturing at its Clayton campus since the demise of automotive manufacturing, though its expanding Bosch Australia Manufacturing Solutions automation business holds pride of place.

Doftek is a developer of on-vehicle wheel alignment and monitoring technologies, with its Active Wheel Alignment (AWA) technology allowing a vehicle’s wheel alignment settings to be adjusted in real-time to maximise handling performance.

Located at Bosch’s redeveloped Regional Headquarters in Clayton, in Melbourne’s South East, the multi-functional co-working space offers scalable office, workshop, lab, manufacturing and storage areas.

Doftek Executive Director and Co-Founder Dr Priscilla Rogers said: “With a rapidly growing customer base, we are actively scaling our business and engineering operations.

“Our co-location with Bosch Australia allows us to expand our footprint on demand and in a turn-key fashion with access to world-class facilities and expertise that supports automotive componentry development.”

Dr Rogers said there were very few co-location ecosystems in Victoria that support hardware development.

Bosch Oceania President, Gavin Smith said: “There’s no better place for an innovative early-stage technology company to set up camp than here with us in Clayton.

“But not just for the space. Doftek can also call on our expertise in automotive technology development, testing, and manufacturing establishment, should the need arise”.

Bosch and Doftek are long-standing members of the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC), which drives innovation, productivity and competitiveness across manufacturing industry.

Picture: Bosch/Dr Priscilla Rogers, Doftek Executive Director with Gavin Smith, Bosch Oceania President