Bosch’s presence in the Netherlands goes back to the year 1903. That was when Messrs. Willem van Rijn in Amsterdam began to represent the Bosch Company. This firm thus became the first independent Bosch agency abroad. The company’s business premises were located in a merchant’s house on a canal in Amsterdam. World War One abruptly severed good business relations with Stuttgart.

The way abroad

In 1919, Messrs. Willem van Rijn took over the sole agency for Bosch in the Dutch East Indies in order to introduce Bosch products there, too. In 1922, a branch office Willem van Rijn was opened in Soerabaia on Java. In 1928, Willem van Rijn decided to concentrate exclusively on Bosch products. In a country of cyclists, the reliability of the cycle lamp, the so-called "fietslampen", had contributed to the proverbial good quality associated with the Bosch brand name.

The period between the two World Wars was a very successful one for the company, so much so that the business premises on Keizersgracht were no longer large enough. In 1939, the firm moved to a new building on Haarlemmer Weg. There was a canal with barges at the back of the building. A picturesque windmill completed the typical picture-book image of the Netherlands.

The Second World War brought difficult years for the Bosch agency in the Netherlands, a time when it was not easy to keep faith with the German company.

First post-war "export"

The first post-war consignment from Stuttgart to Amsterdam was despatched as early as October 1945. In 1953, the company’s 50th anniversary was celebrated in the grand style. Mr Bouwer and his managing clerk Gunters also had reason to celebrate: their personal anniversaries at van Rijn, 50 and 25 years respectively. In the 1980s, van Rijn was looking after a grand total of 56 Bosch service outlets throughout the country. In those days, household appliances were the strongest sources of turnover, closely followed by equipment for motor vehicles.

Sold to Bosch

In 1992, the contract governing the new arrangement for Bosch’s distribution activities in the Netherlands was signed. Bosch took over from Willem van Rijn B.V., Amsterdam, the distribution establishment for motor-vehicle equipment, communications technology and production goods. Bosch bundled these segments in June 1992 as an independent distribution company, Robert Bosch B.V. (RBNL). All activities of Robert Bosch B.V. were concentrated under one roof in Hoofddorp near Amsterdam in 1996.

The Netherlands and Belgium as important foreign markets

Four years later, the companies in the Benelux countries were amalgamated as RBBN. Sales of Bosch Group products in the Netherlands continue to be the responsibility of Robert Bosch B.V. Company headquarters remained in Hoofddorp, while Robert Bosch S.A. in Belgium has its headquarters in Brussels. In 2001, turnover amounted to 489 million euro.

There are three production sites in the Netherlands: in Breda, Skil Europe BV manufactures electric power tools. Robert Bosch Verpakkingsmachines BV in Weert makes packaging machines for the foodstuffs and confectionery industries. Tilburg is where Van Doorne’s Transmissie BV develops continuously variable automatic transmissions.

In 1995, Bosch and Janivo Holding BV, Breda, founded the joint company Tele Atlas. This company manufactures digitized road maps for vehicle navigation systems in ´s-Hertogenbosch.