Covid-19 vaccination campaign: Bosch plans extensive vaccination program for associates

Renningen / Stuttgart – Bosch, the supplier of technology and services, plans to open vaccination centers at a number of its locations in Germany. It aims to offer a Covid-19 vaccination to its 130,000 associates in Germany, assuming corresponding vaccine availability. “We want to contribute to the vaccination drive in Germany. The infrastructure is in place and our company doctors are ready and waiting. They will start the vaccinations as soon as we get the green light,” says Filiz Albrecht, member of the Bosch board of management and director of industrial relations, on the plans of the company. “We care deeply about the health of our associates and of the general public, as we are demonstrating with this comprehensive vaccination commitment.” On the Renningen research campus site alone, Bosch plans to offer up to 1,400 vaccinations a day in a larger center for employees in the greater Stuttgart area.

Associates will also be able to get vaccinated by local vaccination centers and company medical staff at over 50 other locations. A concept for mobile vaccination teams has been developed to support smaller locations. In addition, the company plans to extend the offer to relatives if there is sufficient availability of the vaccine and if the authorities give the go-ahead for this. In total, Bosch can vaccinate up to 6,000 people a day in Germany. Vaccinations will be voluntary, subject to medical advice, and in line with prioritization rules. Final preparations are underway, including training for the medical team and discussions with authorities on vaccine procurement. For its vaccination campaign, Bosch is drawing on the competence of its company doctors as well as other internal expertise. The Bosch Service Solutions division is running the software-based vaccination registration system. The vaccination cabins at the Renningen vaccination center were built in a short space of time using aluminum sections from industrial technology company Bosch Rexroth and can be customized and expanded according to requirements.

High levels of qualification and experience among Bosch company doctors

The Bosch medical team comprises some 200 associates, including 50 company doctors. “Bosch company doctors are vastly experienced at administering vaccinations,” says Falko Papenfuß, head of the Bosch medical service. “For many years they have offered general vaccination advice, provided travel-related medical care, and been responsible for associates’ seasonal flu vaccinations.” In 2020, 18,000 associates in Germany received a flu vaccination. People outside of Bosch also benefit from the company doctors’ competence: Bosch medical experts have been assisting the nationwide vaccination campaign in Germany over the past few months, including at the vaccination center at the Robert Bosch Hospital in Stuttgart.

Protective measures remain in place, comprehensive test offer

The protective measures introduced at the beginning of the pandemic continue to apply at all locations and are being continuously updated based on the latest guidelines and medical findings. Bosch has been providing associates unable to work from home with regular Covid-19 antigen self-tests for a number of weeks now. Associates at German locations can take multiple self-tests per week, or even on a daily basis, depending on the local situation. Bosch is also deploying its own rapid PCR test using the Vivalytic analysis device, which was developed in-house, at more than 50 locations in Europe as part of its testing concept. Associates also continue to receive Bosch-produced face masks.

Worldwide commitment to vaccination campaign

Bosch also plans to offer vaccinations to its associates internationally, where possible. Associates at a number of international locations, including in China, France, India, Romania, Russia, Serbia, and the U.S., have already been able to receive vaccinations. As is standard practice in these countries, Bosch has been responsible for organizing vaccinations for its associates – mostly through external bodies or medical services. In some cases, Bosch has also offered organized trips to public vaccination centers for its associates in collaboration with local authorities. The company has opened a larger vaccination center together with the local government on the site of its plant in Cluj, Romania – another is operated by the Indian authorities at the plant in Adugodi (Bengaluru). Bosch employs more than 3,500 associates there.