Motor Industries Co. Ltd. (MICO), in which Bosch holds 51 percent of the shares, was founded in 1951. Bosch's Indian subsidiary performed pioneer work in the manufacturing of spark plugs and diesel injection systems. Today Bosch is represented in India by three companies. The largest is MICO, one of the most important foreign subsidiaries of the Bosch Group and the biggest manufacturer of diesel injection systems in India. As a contribution towards improved technical training, MICO provides its own vocational training workshops.

The Bangalore factory was MICO's first factory in India, established in 1954. When it was founded, the town of Bangalore was still a green city, a “pensioner's paradise” to which top civil servants were transferred at the zenith of their careers. Today almost every large enterprise in the G-7 countries is represented in this “capital of the sciences”. MICO started off by manufacturing spark plugs and diesel injection equipment under licence from Bosch. To relieve the workload, other factories were set up, first in Nashik, later in Naganathapura and Jaipur. In addition to retaining its production facilities, Bangalore remained the company's administrative centre and headquarters.

On-the-spot social commitment

At its Bangalore location, MICO also has social commitments towards its staff and the population of the city. To celebrate the company's anniversary in 1967, for instance, it donated a building for a girl's grammar school. The village of Kaggalipura, situated some 24 kilometres from Bangalore, was adopted by MICO in 1978. In collaboration with a social organization which carries out development work of a model character in rural regions, MICO set to work to improve the living conditions of the population. The successful conclusion of this project has encouraged MICO to undertake similar commitments at its production location Nashik.