Robert Bosch invests $17 million in Clayton factory

Robert Bosch Australia has begun construction of a new $17 million Melbourne plant to house its Bosch Manufacturing Solutions operation which advises manufacturers on automation strategy and builds automation equipment and special purpose machines

The company announced today that the first sod had been turned on the construction which will also house the company’s Rexroth businesses.

The leading global supplier of technology and services has continued to invest in its Clayton campus since the demise of automotive assembly, building a new plant to make semi-conductors and developing its manufacturing solutions business to build on its highly skilled staff.

Five years on, Bosch’s Manufacturing Solutions division services a diverse array of blue chip, mid-tier and early stage manufacturing companies in Australia and internationally as customers.

Bosch Group board member for Asia Pacific, Peter Tyroller, said, “I am delighted that our Australian team is playing such an important role in securing the future of manufacturing in this country.

“What we are doing here is quite unique within the Bosch Group”.

The manufacturing solutions business is the only one in Bosch globally to sell its expertise in automation and manufacturing systems as a service, as well as building special purpose machinery.

Bosch Australia President Gavin Smith said the loss of automotive was a very difficult time for the company’s team.

Smith said: “Then we realised, the capability we had in-house could easily be redirected externally.

“We gave them time and freedom to see what they could make of it, and now they are flying.”

Today, the manufacturing solutions team are supplying complex turnkey solutions to the MedTech, Food and Beverage, and Advanced Manufacturing industries.

Smith said: “Manufacturing is very much alive in Australia, and we are excited to be at the forefront of it.”

The new building will comprise 4,156 square metres of industrial space and workshops, 896 square metres of offices, amenities and laboratories, and a further 833 square metres for truck and service areas, as well as 74 additional car parking spaces.

With the support of the Victorian Government, the new building will create at least 35 new jobs over the next four years.

Construction of the new facility is expected to be completed by October 2020.

Picture: Robert Bosch Manufacturing Solutions

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