How Bosch Car Service has evolved over the last 100 years

What tech trends will disrupt automotive aftermarket services in the Middle East region?
From the rise of advanced technologies to sustainability concerns, changing consumer preferences, and more, industries everywhere are being disrupted. In the case of the automotive industry, the growing adoption of digitalisation and automation will have an incredibly transformative impact. Cars will no longer be purely mechanical products – instead, they are evolving into road-based computers.

What will that mean for aftermarket services across the Middle East? In the first instance, the traditional mechanic’s car workshop will first and foremost be increasingly digital. Everything that was once paper-based, such as instruction manuals, will be a thing of the past. Moreover, diagnostics and troubleshooting will no longer rely on a mechanics understanding of an automobile, with digital tools and sensors used to determine the issues at hand. At Bosch, the latest diagnostic instruments for troubleshooting have been available in Bosch Car Service workshops for many years now, providing access to digital expertise.

Eventually, servicing an automobile may be entirely automated and no longer require you to visit a workshop. Thanks to the Internet of Things, connectivity and artificial intelligence, automobile owners will be notified about the need to refuel, service, and repair their cars, with diagnostics performed remotely. Eventually, the entire service process could be managed remotely. While what a workshop looks like in the future is still uncertain, there are several scenarios we can imagine at Bosch. We have developed various future strategies in collaboration with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. For example, repairs could be bookable by app, your vehicle then driving itself to a workshop. Alternatively, repair services could be requested to a chosen location, with our expert coming to meet you at home, work or an alternative location. Or the third option is that a kind of construction set is delivered, allowing the car owner to perform the task themselves under the instruction of a Bosch Car Service expert.

Talking about shared mobility, globally, its market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.42 per cent from 2019 to 2026. This is one space everyone is eyeing. However, with the pandemic, innovative ways of shared mobility have been introduced, such as electric bikes, which allows social distancing and positively contributes to enabling a carbon-neutral environment.

How has Bosch Car Service evolved over the last 100 years?
This year, as Bosch Car Service, we are celebrating 100 years in business. Today, our network spans more than 15,000 partner workshops in more than 150 countries. While many things have changed in our industry since Bosch was first established in 1921, one thing that runs through our company DNA is innovation. We have been at the forefront of diagnostics, servicing and repairs, with numerous inventions under our belt from the anti-lock braking system (ABS) and the electronic stability programme (ESP). Today our R&D pipeline remains strong, with 72,000 employees working on the latest innovations across the industry. In 2019 alone, we registered more than 4,200 patents.

A qualification system with the Bosch Service Excellence programme, including regular audits and workshop tests, ensures the high service quality of Bosch Car Service workshop partners. That is seen in the trust our customers have in our brand. We consistently receive top ratings worldwide in customer satisfaction and brand trust surveys.

What are Bosch Car Service growth strategies in the region? Any expansion plans ahead?
At Bosch Car Service, we aim to become the most extensive workshop network in the Middle East. We will end 2021 with more than 140 Bosch Car Service workshops, targeting another +25 by the end of 2022. As part of our growth strategy, we offer high-quality services at reasonable prices, offer our customers a one-year warranty on our parts, besides ensuring that our workshop employees receive the most up to date technical training. Furthermore, regular quality audits supplement this to provide our customers with the best service possible.

What are the top reasons for Bosch Car Service to enhance the industry expansion in the Middle East region?
Across the region, dynamic emerging economies, a growing population and middle class will continue to drive demand across the sector. At Bosch, we are on hand to meet this demand and to combine it with Bosch led innovations across the sector, helping industries to achieve their climate goals as the transportation sector undergoes significant disruption.