One of the leading suppliers of process and packaging technology globally, the Bosch Packaging Technology division generated €1.3bn in sales last year and features over 30 locations in more than 15 countries.
After ‘intensively and thoroughly’ considering all its strategic options, Bosch said it has decided to look for a buyer for its packaging machinery business, more specifically the pharmaceuticals and food units of the Packaging Technology division.
Stefan Hartung, Bosch board member, said in a conference call with reporters that Bosch intends to sell the packaging technology business as a whole to a single buyer and anticipates the sale process to take just over a year.
He also insisted the company hasn’t held exploratory talks with any potential buyer.
The division provides process and packaging solutions for the pharmaceuticals and foodstuffs industries. Its range includes standalone machines, systems solutions, and an a service portfolio.
Packaging technology is not considered a core Bosch business.
Bosch Group’s strategy is to structure its operations competitively, which it has suggested it has struggled to do with its packaging division.
The last two fiscal years were difficult for certain PA units, although Bosch insists that under new management, the company has begun to realign, with some initial success.
Bosch said it expects to see increasing demand – and with its many technological USPs, the pharmaceuticals unit is developing encouragingly and growing, while the food unit has strengthened its core areas, and intends to further expand its market position.
The company’s special-purpose machinery manufacturer Robert Bosch Manufacturing Solutions however, is a separate entity, and will remain part of the Bosch Group.
Hartung said the packaging division will benefit from the sale as a organised packaging technology business will be able to adapt more flexibly to the diverse requirements a market saturated with SME’s.
He added that the company is aiming to ensure all the division’s 6,000+ workforce in 15 countries to be retained by a new owner.
“My colleagues in PA executive management and I are confident of future business success. We’re one of the biggest companies in our industry, and the path we have chosen is clearly the right one. We will stay together as a strong and stable unit. Under new ownership as well, our tried and tested team will continue to provide our customers with excellent manufacturing solutions and services,” says Dr. Stefan König, chairman of the managing board of Robert Bosch Packaging Technology GmbH. “PA has always led a largely independent existence within the Bosch Group, and will in the future be able to respond even better to the requirements of the packaging industry. Our customers will benefit from this.”
The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services.
Its operations are divided into four business sectors: mobility solutions, industrial technology, consumer goods, and energy and building technology.
The company generated sales of €78.1bn in 2017.
