Senior experts: working for Bosch worldwide

Bosch places particular value on the expert knowledge acquired by its associates: after all, this is what underpins the thousands of patents filed worldwide by the supplier of technology and services each year. Experience has also shown that different perspectives foster creativity and help create better solutions, which is why Bosch has been committed to mixed-age teams as part of its diversity strategy for many years now. In line with this, the company believes its retired associates should also have the opportunity to continue contributing the expertise they accumulated while at Bosch, often over decades. In 1999, Bosch established a subsidiary that assigns retired associates temporary consulting or project tasks within the company. The aim is to retain Bosch expertise. As a consulting company, Bosch Management Support GmbH (BMS) manages the placement of senior experts within the Bosch Group worldwide.

Holding experience in high esteem

When it was established in 1999, Bosch Management Support GmbH counted 30 former Bosch associates; today, the company has more than 2,400 senior experts on its books worldwide. The great value placed on the counsel of older associates at Bosch is one of the reasons for its success. Experts are placed anywhere that professional consultation is required on a short-term basis or capacity bottlenecks need to be managed. This can be while setting up manufacturing lines somewhere in the world, in accounting, or as part of product development or plant quality assurance. BMS consultants work on fixed-term contracts for a fee that is based on their earlier salaries. The remuneration model ensures that cost alone is not the deciding factor when an expert is engaged. Moreover, BMS does not just act as a facilitator. The organization also offers senior experts advice on matters such as health insurance obligations and supplementary income limits.

Voluntary participation ensures dedication

Former Bosch associates who have specific specialist and leadership expertise can register as senior experts with BMS. They must be retired. Many associates decide they want to participate before they leave the company, some decide later, and some retirees are recruited specifically by a specialist department. A selection interview ensures that they can meet a high standard of consulting quality.

Professional consulting tailored to the job at hand

As a rule, senior experts only work within the Bosch Group and are engaged by specialist departments, which are free to choose between an external consultant and a BMS expert. There are no obligations on the client or the senior expert. If the retired associate receives a project inquiry, both sides arrange a meeting to discuss the tasks and the expected duration of the job. If the client and the senior expert come to an agreement, they also work out a schedule that suits both sides. Registered senior experts can access an online platform at home that they can use to manage the job’s administrative tasks, their travel, and timekeeping. They can also update their skills profile at any time.

Satisfied customers, motivated senior experts

The model benefits both sides: retired associates feel renewed appreciation for their skills, earn a little on the side, and stay up to date professionally. Their specific specialist and leadership expertise and their in-depth knowledge of the Bosch Group and its corporate culture means that there is no need for senior experts to undergo lengthy training. They also have considerable experience dealing with specific technical issues and motivating associates. Their clients value this and typically express a high degree of satisfaction at the obligatory end-of-assignment performance assessment. Of the senior experts working for BMS, around two-thirds are specialists and one-third are executives.

Expert pool with combined 50,000 years of experience

Bosch’s expert pool brings together more than 50,000 combined years of professional experience. The senior experts are active in areas including development, manufacturing, accounting, purchasing, and marketing and sales. Their project tasks range from workshops, training, and talks, to quality assurance and management, construction support, process analysis and improvement, to mentoring and interim management. In 2023, retired Bosch associates around the world clocked up a total of 65,000 days of work. Of the days worked, 24 percent were in manufacturing, 17 percent in development, and 24 percent were commercial in nature. The remainder were distributed among a wide range of business areas.

Alongside Germany, BMS has branches in Brazil (Campinas), the U.K. (Denham), India (Bangalore), Japan (Saitama), Mexico (Mexico City), Austria (Vienna), Turkey (Maltepe-Istanbul), the U.S. (Broadview) and China (Shanghai).