The Americas Region

BSH has been active in North and South America since the 1990s. Dishwashers produced by BSH Hausgeräte GmbH were already being distributed in North America from 1991 under the Bosch brand. 1995 ruft die BSHG zum „Aufbruch zur Weltspitze“ aus. A pure sales role in North America, however, was no longer enough. The U.S. had one of the largest domestic markets in the world – and the largest individual market for home appliances. In 1996, BSHG established a dishwasher factory in New Bern, North Carolina, which extended over an area of 12,000 square meters. However, North America is not the only one of the regions in which BSH wants to be more represented, but also in South America.

"As a leading manufacturer of electrotechnical consumer durables, BSHG has a clear objective to continue expanding its excellent market position in the coming years," explained CEO Dr. Herbert Wörner in 1995.

Greater emphasis was placed on South America in the 1990s during this phase of internationalization at BSH. One of the reasons for this was the high growth rates in the regions of Eastern Europe, large parts of Asia and even South America, which contrasted with the increasingly saturated markets in Western Europe.

North America

Thermador

Now known as BSH, the company acquired the U.S. home appliances manufacturer Thermador in 1998 and thus integrated another high-profile brand into the BSH family. Ambitious targets were set following the acquisition. "We want to be the most competitive company in the sector. If there were an Oscar for product, service and environmental protection, BSH would get it!"

It wasn't just because of their efficient cleaning performance that U.S. consumers were impressed by the BSH dishwashers, since they eliminated the need for pre-rinsing, another major plus point was the low operating noise emission level – BSH dishwashers were eight times quieter than traditional U.S. appliances.

Sales company in Canada

A sales company was established in Canada in 2005 as a subsidiary of the U.S. BSH Home Appliances Corporation. This was enabled by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that had been ratified in 1994. The business in Canada made up a small portion of the North American business. Yet the Canadian market acted at times as a linchpin: during the U.S. financial crisis in 2008, for example, Canada recorded very positive growth rates – unlike the weak U.S. market.

For the sake of the environment

By 2006, environmentally-friendly and energy-saving home appliances had become increasingly important in North America. The Bosch dishwashers already fulfilled the strict U.S. regulations concerning energy consumption a year before they were launched in 2007. Bosch was also actively involved in the "Energy Star" and "Energy Guide" campaigns, where were supported by the U.S. Government in order to promote environmentally-friendly products.

Additional investments in North America

In 2002, BSH began the largest factory overhaul undertaken by the company up to that point. A new laundry care and a new free-standing cooker factory were constructed from scratch. Covering an area of 37,000 square meters and representing an investment of 200 million dollars, the two new factories were BSH's largest investment outside of Germany at this time. By the time the project was completed, some 800,000 washing machines and dryers as well as 400,000 free-standing cookers were being produced annually.

BSH made further investments in North America in 2007. Around eleven million dollars were invested in the production location at New Bern, in order to establish a new production line. This investment added 225 new jobs to the existing approx. 1,000 (as of 2007). "We produce where our customers are located," said Franz Bosshard, CEO and President of BSH Home Appliances, as he explained the rationale behind expanding the company's presence in North America.

Financial crisis and renewed growth

Triggered by the crisis in real-estate in the U.S., the North American market suffered a considerable setback in the years that followed. The investments in modern locations and the consumer trust gained through high-quality and environmentally-friendly products now paid off. Despite the unchanging situation on the financial market, BSH was able to increase its revenue in North America again in 2010 and even gain market share. From here on, BSH concentrated especially on its business in the premium and luxury segment in this region. The steadily rising demand in this segment translated to a growth in revenue of 26 percent in the North American region in 2015.

South America

Brazil as a starting point

The company chose Brazil initially as a base for further expanding the market in South America. With a population of 160 million people at the time, Brazil was the largest and strongest growing market in Latin America in the mid-1990s with a turnover of 587 million deutschmarks in 1995. Continental 2001 S/A was not only the leading home appliances manufacturer in Brazil for decades, it was also a strong brand. BHSG therefore acquired a majority share in Continental in 1994, a move that would decide the company's fate for the next 15 years.

BSH used Continental as a launching pad for its Bosch and Siemens brands in South America. The company exported to the most important countries on the continent – including Mexico, Peru, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Bolivia.

Spotlight on Cono Sur, the Southern Cone

Nach dem Eintritt als Mehrheitsgesellschafter von Continental 1995 richtet sich der Blick der BSH verstärkt auf den Ausbau der eigenen Exportaktivitäten in andere Länder Lateinamerikas. Die Überprüfung verschiedener Möglichkeiten in Argentinien, Chile und Peru weist eine Zusammenarbeit mit dem traditionsreichen peruanischen Hausgerätehersteller Coldex S.A. als erfolgversprechendste Option aus.

Coldex besteht seit 1964. Der bisherige Eigentümer ist auf der Suche nach einer Nachfolgelösung und tritt mit dem Angebot einer 60-prozentigen Beteiligung an die BSH heran. Der in Lima ansässige Hersteller von Kühlschränken und Gasherden wird bereits seit einigen Jahren von Continental mit Komponenten für die Gasherdproduktion beliefert. 1996 erwirbt die BSH 100 Prozent der Coldex S.A. Das Unternehmen hat in den Jahren 1996/1997 einen 30-prozentigen Marktanteil an Herden und einen beeindruckenden 60-prozentigen Marktanteil an Kältegeräten in Peru, nimmt aber seine Exportmöglichkeiten kaum wahr. An diesem Punkt setzt die BSH an und beliefert ab 1997 die Andenregion, Zentralamerika und die Karibik mit Hausgeräten. Das war bisher von Brasilien aus nur bedingt möglich gewesen. So gelingt es der BSH bereits im ersten Jahr, 30 Prozent der Produktion von Coldex zu exportieren.

1999 beginnt das Unternehmen mit der Vermarktung von Bosch als Premiummarke in Peru – während sich die Marke Coldex mit ihrem guten Preis-Leistungsverhältnis an Verbraucher mit mittlerem Einkommen richtet.

Brasilien geht, Chile kommt

Die BSH verkauft 2009 Continental an die mexikanische Gesellschaft Exinmex S.A. de C.V. Das bedeutet allerdings nicht, dass Südamerika weniger Beachtung findet. Coldex gehört weiterhin zur BSH-Familie. 2010 entschließt sich die BSH, in Chile aktiv zu werden, und gründet dort eine Vertriebsorganisation als Zweigstelle der BSH Peru. Die sogenannte Casa Bosch in der Hauptstadt Santiago bietet Verkaufs- und Ausstellungsräume sowie Platz für Trainings und exklusive Events.

Einzelnachweise