Bosch announced recently it plans to divest most product lines in its Building Technologies division, including its video surveillance, access control and intrusion detection, and communications business units. Bosch will retain its fire alarm business and the Building Technologies division will focus on its integration business—providing services and solutions for building security, energy efficiency, and building automation. The businesses to be divested account for 4300 employees and more than 90 locations, the company said, adding that it is “looking for a buyer who will take on all three business units together with their associates and locations.”
Following the realignment, the Building Technologies division will employ approximately 7600 people and operate 40 locations in 8 countries. “As a brand-independent systems integrator with a wide-ranging portfolio of energy and building solutions, the division intends to benefit in the future from digitalization and a growing customer demand for integrated, intelligent, and cross-domain solutions in the areas of building security, energy efficiency, and building automation,” it stressed.
Building automation market growing
“We are confident we will be able to find a buyer who will take over all three business units, and who will further strengthen the business and give it a secure future,” said Christian Fischer, deputy chair of the company’s board of management. In that capacity, Fischer is responsible for Bosch’s energy and building technology sector as well as its consumer goods sector. “We want to become one of the global leaders for systems integration in building technology and to seize the favorable opportunities for growth in this market. To achieve this, we need to consolidate.”
Bosch Building Technologies president Thomas Quante added that the products business up for sale “is excellently positioned for a promising future under a new owner—innovative products, highly skilled associates, and a market environment with attractive opportunities for growth.”
Security systems integration
In July Bosch announced its acquisition of Vancouver, Canada-based system-integration firm Paladin Technologies. At the time, Bosch’s Fischer commented, “Energy efficiency and security needs are driving factors for the modernization of commercial buildings, particularly in the North American market. These long-term trends have contributed to the growth of our subsidiary Climatec, which has significantly increased its sales and workforce since we acquired them in 2015. We want to continue Bosch’s success in the delivery of these vital services in the region, and helping make buildings greener, smarter, and safer.”
When announcing the intended divestiture of these multiple business units, Fischer concluded, “In the future we will be focusing on systems integration as our core business.”