Bosch ended the fiscal year 2024 with consolidated sales of 2.6 billion lei (529.5 million euros) in Romania, registering an increase of 2.6%, despite difficult market conditions. Total net sales of 11.9 billion lei (2.4 billion euros) in Romania, including sales of unconsolidated companies and domestic deliveries to affiliated companies, remained at a similar level to the previous year. “In fiscal year 2024, Bosch recorded a steady performance in Romania, despite a challenging economic and political environment, following a strategy focused on technology, sustainability and innovation in all its operations in the country: production, research and development, sales and services,” said Mihai Boldijar, CEO of Robert Bosch and representative of the Bosch Group in Romania.
In 2024, Bosch celebrated 30 years of continuous and successful presence on the local market. “Today, Bosch in Romania is a key player in Romanian industry, given the use of cutting-edge technologies, but also a top employer, a reliable partner for the education system and for local communities through its corporate social responsibility activities and its own foundation, established 5 years ago,” added Boldijar. The number of employees at Bosch in Romania reached 10,320 as of December 31, 2024, with a slight decrease (of 1.9 percent) compared to the previous year. Bosch invested approximately 246 million lei (50 million euros) in Romania in 2024, mainly in the development of its plants in Cluj and Blaj, as well as in R&D.
In the first quarter of 2025, Bosch managed to increase its annual sales figure by 4 percent globally. The company also had a good start in Romania in 2025, with a slight increase in sales compared to 2024. However, for the current fiscal year, Bosch still expects only moderate global economic growth of 2 to 2.5 percent and estimates that the global economy will not start to gain momentum until 2026. In Romania, Bosch expects modest development for 2025, due to the challenging market environment. “Although we also expect a difficult year in Romania due to the current situation, Bosch continues to manage the turbulence in the automotive industry of recent years and remains committed to the local market,” continued Boldijar.
Increased energy efficiency
The production units in Blaj made significant progress in reducing energy consumption, saving 1,042 MWh, and managed to double the production of green energy compared to the previous year by expanding the photovoltaic system on the roofs of two additional buildings, thus generating 641 MWh. In addition, the Bosch plant in Blaj continued to expand its production capacity in 2024 by expanding the machines in the Industrial Technology division and optimizing the lines for third-generation NoX gas sensors.
In addition, the Bosch plant in Cluj, which has been producing high-quality electronic control units for increased traffic safety and driving comfort since 2013, has delivered more than 500 million electronic control units to its international customers. Focusing on energy efficiency, the Cluj factory’s solar panels generated 5,660 MWh in 2024, representing approximately 11 percent of the total electricity demand and contributing to an annual energy consumption reduction of 4,672 MWh, in combination with a heat pump installed in 2021. A modern waste management system also ensures efficient sorting of the waste stream, optimizing both logistics and employee workflow. Meanwhile, the factory continues to integrate cutting-edge automation solutions, including robots and co-robots, to increase production efficiency and support a digitalized and sustainable future.
Contributing to the mobility of the future through research and development
The Bosch Engineering Center in Cluj, established in 2013, plays an important role in the ongoing transformation of the mobility sector. Using expertise in software, hardware, mechanical and reliability engineering, and sales planning, the center contributes significantly to the development of cutting-edge products and services that use artificial intelligence (AI) in automated driving, electric mobility, and connected mobility solutions. With a workforce of around 1,700 employees, the center is a key element of the Bosch intellectual property portfolio, generating more than 100 inventions annually. Recent key achievements include the transformation of skills in data-driven engineering, increased accountability in data-driven engineering applications, and visible improvements in efficiency and products through the integration of AI.
Bosch strengthens its service business in Timisoara
In 2024, Bosch continued to strengthen the strategic role of the Business and Technology Solutions Center in Timisoara, providing the Bosch Group and external customers with top-notch services. Through continuous investments in technology, people and local partnerships, the center, which operates through two legal entities: Bosch Service Solutions SRL and Bosch Global Business Services SRL, actively contributes to achieving global goals in terms of digitalization and operational excellence. Bosch Service Solutions focuses on intelligent process automation by integrating AI and digital workflow technologies. The division follows two main directions: optimizing software services for automation and efficiency and developing its own products tailored to market needs. These innovations increase operational performance and improve the user experience. In addition, Bosch Global Business Services in Timisoara, the largest Bosch service center worldwide, made a significant contribution to the division’s business growth of 8 percent. In 2024, the division continued to build on its operational capabilities and introduced new business lines such as Corporate Finance, Reporting and Treasury. The Timisoara division boasts a customer satisfaction rating of 4.6 out of 5. In addition, Bosch Global Business Services concluded a strategic partnership with the West University of Timisoara in 2025, which aims to bridge the gap between academia and industry by encouraging digitalization and artificial intelligence.
Bosch business sector development
In the Mobility business sector, the Mobility Aftermarket division again recorded double-digit growth in Romania in 2024. Key success factors are the strengthening of business relationships with strategic distributors, as well as technical training courses and management programs for car workshops. The Bosch Car Service network, with over 80 car service stations in Romania, is highly regarded for the professionalism of its technicians, who are prepared to use the latest automotive technologies.
In the Building and Energy Technology sector, the Bosch Home Comfort division in Romania managed to achieve a growth of over 70 percent compared to 2023, despite the uncertain conditions in the HVAC market and the extremely competitive business in the project sector. The growth factors were the industrial heating solutions offered to several municipalities in the country, the development in the field of cooling systems and a constant evolution of natural gas-based solutions, the most challenging sector of the heating market.
In the Consumer Goods sector, the Bosch Power Tools division recorded a moderate increase in sales in 2024. The division continued to meet customer needs by launching new products, such as the Bosch professional power tool categories for the garden or hand tools.
In 2025, the Bosch Power Tools division plans to strengthen its market position by launching new products and innovations, especially in the power tools and measuring devices segments Bosch Professional. One example is the new range of measuring and testing devices “Bosch Electrical Testing”, dedicated to electricians. In addition, BSH Electrocasnice, which has sold over 7.5 million household appliances on the Romanian market since 1999, maintained its leading position in key categories in 2024 due to the superior quality of its products, focusing on digitalization and connectivity through Home Connect.
In 2025, BSH will launch new products focused on saving time and energy efficiency, including the Green Collection refrigerator-freezer made from sustainable materials, gas hobs with precise flame control, air fryers and robot vacuum cleaners.
In the Industrial Technology sector, the Bosch Rexroth sales division ended fiscal year 2024 with similar results to the previous year, recording very good development in industrial hydraulics. Together with its certified partners, the division helps to reduce operating costs for the end user by offering high-quality products in the areas of industrial hydraulics, mobile hydraulics, linear motion technology, electric drives and controls and assembly technology.
Bosch Group: Outlook and strategic direction for 2025
The Bosch Group is continuing with its ambitious 2030 strategy to strengthen its competitive position, even though the market environment was a significant drag on growth last year: At 90.3 billion euros, the technology and services provider generated sales revenue in 2024 that was 1.4 percent lower than in the previous year, or 0.5 percent lower after currency adjustments. The EBIT margin from operations was 3.5 percent. “In fiscal year 2024, we made significant improvements in terms of costs, structures and portfolio,” said Stefan Hartung, Chairman of the Board of Management of Robert Bosch GmbH. With a normal inflation rate of 2 to 3 percent, Bosch aims to achieve average annual growth of 6 to 8 percent by 2030. In the first quarter of the year, Bosch increased its sales revenue by 4 percent compared to the previous year. The Bosch Group is still aiming for a target margin of 7 percent for 2026 and considers this to be an extremely difficult task given the current challenges. In order to maintain success in the context of constantly changing markets and technologies, Bosch will continue to work intensively on costs and structures and will focus on profitable business areas. “As a global technology leader, we are fully committed to boldly leveraging our strengths, such as our high level of innovation,” said Hartung.
