The first Bosch sales office in Belgium, Robert Bosch S. A., was founded in Brussels in 1907, but the company had already been trading in the country since 1899. Bosch had founded a sales company based in Paris together with the English businessman Frederick R. Simms, then a member of the supervisory board of Daimler Motoren-Gesellschaft.

This Paris-based sales company coordinated the sale of Bosch products in France and Belgium. In 1906, the business partners went their separate ways, and ownership of the sales offi ce in Belgium was transferred to Bosch. Setting up an offi ce in Belgium was one of many steps taken by the company toward becoming a global organization.
At nearly the same time, Bosch set up further subsidiaries and branch offi ces: for example, in France and the U. S. The First World War put a halt to the company’s plans to expand operations in Belgium. When the war broke out, management of the business in Brussels was briefly taken over by Max Rall, who had been manager of the Paris sales office, but he was then forced to return to Stuttgart in 1915. Like many other sales offi ces, the Bosch office in Brussels remained closed until the end of the First World War.

Bosch sales office in Brussels, 1907

 

A fresh start under difficult conditions

The resumption of business after the First World War proved to be an extremely diffi cult process. In 1919, alien property in Belgium was placed under compulsory state administration. This included the shell of a new building erected in Brussels just before the war, office and workshop facilities, and the warehouse. Since business could not be transacted directly from Stuttgart, Jean Vrijman, a Belgian, assumed responsibility for the Bosch sales offi ce for Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in August 1919. Not until 1921 did trade with Belgium gradually begin to pick up again, despite continuing diffi culties with deliveries.

The establishment of Allumage-Lumière S. A. in 1922 marked the official resumption of trade relations with Belgium. Allumage-Lumière S. A. was the successor to Jean Vrijman’s company, which was headquartered in Avenue de la Reine in Brussels. As in 1919, he took charge of the Bosch sales office for Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. With the help of his partners, he was able to erect an office building for Allumage-Lumière S. A. in Rue Lambert Crickx in the Belgian capital.

Initial production

When the Second World War broke out, Allumage-Lumière S. A. was sold because Bosch feared being expropriated once again. The first indication of any business activity in Belgium after the end of the war is a Bosch visit report dated 1952. According to this report, Allumage-Lumière S. A. was to be restored to its position as a fully operational sales office. It was a good twenty years later that Bosch first started production in Belgium. In Tienen, Robert Bosch Belgie NV built a plant for the production of wiper blades and rubber products. Construction of the factory began in 1973, with production during the construction period taking place in rented premises. Production in the new plant began in April 1974. By the end of that year, one million wiper blades had been produced. In 1999, Bosch was the first manufacturer to launch the joint-free Aerotwin wiper blade, an innovation that won a number of awards including the Automechanika Innovation Award. The 10 millionth wiper of this type rolled off the assembly line in the spring of 2004 at the Tienen plant, which has since grown to become the world’s largest wiper blade plant. With around 1,600 associates, Tienen is the largest Bosch site in the Benelux countries. The plant produces 300,000 wiper blades every day.

Point of coordination for Benelux
 
In 1980, Bosch founded NV Robert Bosch S. A., which inaugurated a new sales building in Anderlecht, a suburb of Brussels, in 1990. Brussels became the central point of coordination for the company’s business activities throughout the Benelux countries. It is the seat of the headquarters for the aftermarket and service departments and it is also here, for example, that the company manages sales and customer service for original equipment destined for Ford in Genk and Opel in Antwerp. All Bosch divisions are now represented in Belgium, either in Anderlecht or at other sites. In Tienen, N. V. Robert Bosch Produktie is responsible for the development and production of wiper systems. N. V. Bosch Security Systems, which specializes in products and systems for security and communication, was founded in Kortrijk in 1976 under the name of N. V. RAS, and has been part of the Bosch Group since 2001. Bosch Rexroth N. V., also established in 2001, has had a presence in Anderlecht since 2003. BBT Thermotechnology Belgium, founded in 2003, has locations at Heverlee, Herentals, and Gosselies. Since 2002, domestic appliances have been marketed by Bosch Siemens Home Appliances N. V., based in the Jette district of Brussels. The company’s close networking in the Benelux countries is expressed in its slogan: ‘Bosch in Benelux: 1 + 1 = 3.’ The Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg are all committed to this principle. They aim to collaborate closely and unlock synergies while cutting costs. Each country benefi ts from the differences and similarities between itself and its neighbors.