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For more energy efficiency and sustainability

In operation in Homburg, Germany: climate-friendly Bosch industrial technology

  • Bosch demonstrates use of hydrogen for climate-neutral manufacturing.
  • Bosch relies on software developed in-house for energy management in its plants.
  • Bosch manufactures climate-friendly products and solutions for industry.
Dörthe Warnk

Dörthe Warnk

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Stuttgart, Germany – The energy supply industry is facing enormous challenges – and the list of requirements is long: reduce dependencies, guarantee uninterrupted supply, increase the use of renewable energy, maintain prosperity and economic clout. At this year’s Hannover Messe (May 30 to June 2), industry is discussing concepts and ideas for climate-neutral manufacturing. Industry accounts for some 23 percent of CO2 emissions. Bosch is developing climate-friendly solutions and also using them in its own plants. Its Homburg site, for example, is piloting the first hydrogen cycle, equipped with Bosch technology. The following is an overview of solutions from the Bosch industrial technology portfolio – either used in the Homburg plant or manufactured on-site.

Smart energy management for more efficiency

In more than 120 plants, Bosch uses a cloud-based software solution to manage energy demand and consumption. This Energy Platform collects and analyzes energy data from various measuring points on connected machinery. It analyzes the consumption of heat, electricity, and compressed air and presents this information clearly, allowing intelligent algorithms to detect load peaks in consumption patterns and initiate corrective measures. Monitoring this energy data also allows conclusions to be drawn about the wear and tear of machine parts. If a threshold is exceeded, the Energy Platform activates a signal that triggers the maintenance process. In its own plants, Bosch now uses this smart solution to monitor energy consumption at more than 90,000 data points. In Bosch’s Industry 4.0 lead plant in Homburg, more than 10,000 data points are connected via the platform. The plant was able to reduce its CO2 emissions by 12 percent just in the first two years.

A digital brain for the factory of the future

Industry 4.0 offers ways of making manufacturing climate-friendly. Bosch Connected Industry’s Nexeed software controls the production process and improves efficiency in the use of raw materials and other supplies. It can detect and eliminate the causes of rejects at an early stage, thus conserving resources. It permits predictive maintenance, retrofitting, and optimization for machinery and equipment, keeping it operational for longer and reducing the quantity of raw materials used in the production of new hardware. This Industry 4.0 software makes factories up to 25 percent more productive, boosts machine availability by up to 15 percent, and reduces maintenance costs by as much as 25 percent. Nexeed is now being put through its paces in more than half of Bosch’s roughly 240 plants and at more than 100 international customers.

Drive technology for hydrogen compression

Bosch Rexroth and Maximator Hydrogen have together developed a scalable solution for the efficient compression of hydrogen: Max Compression 2.0. In the future, this will allow vehicles to be filled directly with compressed hydrogen, meaning that intermediate storage will no longer be absolutely essential. As the system they developed for automatic seal replacement greatly reduces life-cycle costs, the economic efficiency of hydrogen filling stations is increased. The solution’s modular design offers operators flexibility and grows with demand. It is currently available as scalable drive units from 75 to 250 kilowatts. Bosch Rexroth supplies key components of the complete solution: an electrohydraulic drive for demand-based output control, two customized drive cylinder units, and the power electronics and digital control technology, including software.

Manufacturing and testing technology for fuel cells

Bosch Manufacturing Solutions, the company’s special-purpose machinery unit, is focusing on the ecological transformation of industry and mobility. It offers advanced assembly and automation solutions as well as process and testing technologies. The portfolio also includes manufacturing equipment and testing technology for batteries and fuel cells. Its subsidiary Moehwald, based in Homburg, Germany, develops test benches for fuel cells tailored to the individual requirements of automakers and suppliers, customers from the aviation industry, as well as systems manufacturers in energy technology. During testing of the stacks and systems, natural conditions are simulated: gas composition, temperature, pressure, and humidity correspond to real conditions in vehicles. Moehwald began looking into this technology in 2017. Now the company generates over 50 percent of its sales with test technology for fuel cells. Moehwald’s next move is to expand its portfolio to include factory equipment for the manufacturing of modules for electrolyzers and the associated testing technology.

Distributed power generation using stationary fuel-cell systems

In the future, Bosch stationary solid-oxide fuel cells will be used for distributed power generation on-site in buildings, urban neighborhoods, factories, trade and commerce, and data centers. Depending on energy requirements, several plants can be interconnected to form a virtual power plant. This balances out fluctuations in the power mix with renewables – an ideal solution for the energy system of the future. With an overall efficiency of more than 85 percent, this will make it possible to supply power as and where it is required. A pilot plant in Homburg is producing electricity for manufacturing operations. Any additional heat generated will heat factory buildings in the future. The stationary fuel-cell systems are H2-ready and can run on hydrogen. Bosch estimates that the market for distributed power generation will reach a volume of 20 billion euros by 2030. By the start of large-scale production, which is planned for 2024, Bosch will have invested some 500 million euros in the development and pre-commercialization of stationary fuel-cell systems.

Contact persons for press inquiries:

Dennis Christmann

Spokesperson for industrial technology

Phone: +49 711 811-58178

Twitter: @BoschPress

Dörthe Warnk

Spokesperson for energy and building technology

Phone: +49 711 811-55508

Twitter: @d_warnk

Links

Press kit Hannover Messe 2022

Event page

About Bosch

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 429,000 associates worldwide (as of December 31, 2023). The company generated sales of 91.6 billion euros in 2023. Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. With its business activities, the company aims to use technology to help shape universal trends such as automation, electrification, digitalization, connectivity, and an orientation to sustainability. In this context, Bosch’s broad diversification across regions and industries strengthens its innovativeness and robustness. Bosch uses its proven expertise in sensor technology, software, and services to offer customers cross-domain solutions from a single source. It also applies its expertise in connectivity and artificial intelligence in order to develop and manufacture user-friendly, sustainable products. With technology that is “Invented for life,” Bosch wants to help improve quality of life and conserve natural resources. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 470 subsidiary and regional companies in over 60 countries. Including sales and service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing, engineering, and sales network covers nearly every country in the world. Bosch’s innovative strength is key to the company’s further development. At 136 locations across the globe, Bosch employs some 90,000 associates in research and development, of which nearly 48,000 are software engineers.

The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861–1942) as “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering.” The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant upfront investments in the safeguarding of its future. Ninety-four percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The remaining shares are held by Robert Bosch GmbH and by a corporation owned by the Bosch family. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG. It is entrusted with the task of safeguarding the company’s long-term existence and in particular its financial independence – in line with the mission handed down in the will of the company’s founder, Robert Bosch.

Additional information is available online at www.bosch.com, www.iot.bosch.com, www.bosch-press.com.

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