No more will their products remain hidden under the hood of a vehicle or in a workshop. Bosch Automotive Aftermarket (AA) division is on the move to make its omnipresence visible.
In its run-up to 2020, Bosch AA division is securing its service readiness. Mr. Vijay Pandey, Regional President – Bosch Automotive Aftermarket, says: “Our top priority is the customer. Currently we have roughly 3,000 centers in our network and I want to expand it to over 5,000 by 2020. Our goal is servicing our customer irrespective of the geography.” And this vision is being driven by their concept of ‘Parts, Bytes and Services’.
Future readiness
By 2020 when the industry is ready, even with the implementation of the upgraded emission norms, Bosch AA wishes to upgrade its workshops and technicians. The pre-requisite to this is training the technicians to identify the problem by looking at the diagnostics onto a computerized system. This is more so true when many variants of cars and trucks are plying on the roads with a range of systems needing different kind of diagnostics and spares.
Mr. Pandey explains: “Our unique capability is that the part which we launch in OE is made available in the aftermarket in just three days across the country. We also have a special system for emergency needs of Vehicle Off-Road. In this, if a sparepart is needed somewhere then everything is bypassed and the spare part is sometimes flown so that the vehicle gets back on the road.” All this is preceded by the Bosch Service Upgrade which would be possible by sharing the knowledge with the technicians about the parts for these new systems, diagnostic capabilities and servicing methods to handle vehicles fitted with the BS-IV and VI systems.
Requisite spadework
Becoming visible in the next three to four years requires the AA division to “re-tool” itself. Mr. Pandey says: “The menus are being prepared, we have the BS6 preparation, technical knowhow and trainings going on because the moment the customer buys anything, he should first be guided properly on whether his vehicle needs the said parts, and if or not the vehicle needs a service. We are putting all this together.”
While almost 95 per cent of Bosch aftermarket is localized whether it is solutions for testing or diagnostics, cost nevertheless poses a grim challenge. He says: “The developed world took 10 years to prepare for the Euro emission norms, but in India, they want it in four years. That’s a big challenge. Initially to bring down the cost to the Indian level, we have to innovate and localize.”
With new strategic services like road-side assistance, used-car inspection service and the comprehensive digital strategy being introduced, the division is optimistic.
Incubating ideas
A crucial step towards its future-readiness is Bosch AA’s automotive incubation program which nurtures start-ups for three months. Mr. Pandey discloses: “We want to be part of the start-up ecosystem because start-ups are faster, bring disruptive models and new ideas. I want to be with them before they disrupt the scene.” The advantage lies in the fact that the start-ups get the brand’s blessings while Bosch becomes the recipient of their brilliance.
Indeed a successful recipe to make Bosch’s Automotive Aftermarket division visible and omnipresent in the coming years!