When the new Bosch factory in Clayton started production in 1954, the name Bosch had long been a household word for Australians. At the beginning of the 20th century, the young Stuttgart company already had agency agreements with Messrs. A.E. Kemsley & Co. Pty. Ltd., and was represented in Melbourne and Sydney. In 1922 August Hoette founded the Robert Bosch Supply & Service Co. Pty. Ltd. in Melbourne. Up to the Second World War, business with Bosch products flourished, and a branch was also opened in Sydney.
Licences and co-operation

Hoette’s own company Pyrox continued to play an important role for the business aspirations of Bosch in Australia. The automobile market was booming in a country where distances have a different dimension than in Europe. After the war, the licence agreements between Bosch and Pyrox concluded in the 1930s were resumed virtually unchanged. While the manufacture of Bosch spark plugs under the name Pyrox Licence Bosch had been agreed on in 1930, Bosch came to an agreement with Pyrox in 1949 concerning the manufacture of diesel-injection systems.

Production begins

28th January 1954 saw the culmination of this development. The two companies founded the joint enterprise Pyrox Industries Pty. Ltd. and began to build a factory in Clayton near Melbourne. Two years later, Bosch took over a majority holding in Pyrox Industries, renaming the company Robert Bosch (Australia) Pty. Ltd.. The constantly growing product range could now be sold under the Bosch brand name.

Innovations and premieres

In the 1980s, RBAU expanded its distribution and production. In the field of research and development, too, pioneer work was done, as the example of electronic vehicle security systems shows. In this sector, Robert Bosch (Australia) Pty. Ltd. was the first regional company within the entire Bosch Group to take over worldwide responsibility for a product in 1993. This comprised development, manufacture and distribution. Only three years later, the new product sector Bodywork Electronics was set up in Clayton, which also took over worldwide responsibility within the Bosch Group.