Bosch Receives German Ideas Award 2012

The award for ideas management is conferred each year by the German Institute for Business Administration along with representatives from science, politics and industry. The submitted contributions were evaluated based on their added socio-cultural, ecological and economic value as well as the degree of innovation, feasibility and transferability.

The Bosch plant in Homburg took part with its structured communications model for energy management in the category “Environmental Idea - Best Green Innovation” and in addition received the overall award for the “Idea of the Year.” Dr. Uwe Gackstatter, Executive Vice President, Finance and Administration, of the Diesel Systems Division and Thomas Gönner, Technical Director of the Homburg plant, accepted the award for the Bosch workforce in Homburg.

Energy Efficiency Projects at Bosch in Homburg
The Bosch company is particularly committed to environmental protection and resolute energy management. In this context, for example, the Bosch plant in Homburg is a founding member of the Saarland energy efficiency network which was began in 2010. Already in recent years greater focus was placed on energy efficiency topics at the Homburg business location.

This resulted in a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions amounting to several thousand tons. Numerous projects were implemented in order to optimize workshops, machines and plants in terms of their energy consumption. The aim at Bosch is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent by the year 2020 compared with the year 2007.

Raising Staff Consciousness for Energy Management
Within the scope of energy management, Bosch in Homburg recognized the importance of its workforce as important representatives and disseminators of knowledge and information about increasing energy efficiency. A structured communications model was introduced in order to raise staff consciousness with the aim of long-term modification of their behavior. Thus all staff are included in energy management through standardized staff training. A specially developed short film points out instances of energy waste in their own private surroundings and then applies them to the everyday working world. In doing so staff are provided with information on energy efficiency measures at the business location and are challenged to contribute their own ideas for saving energy through the employee suggestion scheme. At the same time, campaigns are carried out in order to illustrate the topic of energy efficiency; for example, relating to the indication of the energy consumption of production machinery.

As a result of the active commitment on the part of its workforce, Bosch in Homburg was able to significantly reduce its energy consumption. Currently more than 2,000 tons in carbon dioxide emissions have been saved simply through modified, environmentally-conscious behavior of the company's workforce. This corresponds to the annual energy consumption of approximately 1,110 single family homes.

Among other things, injectors and high-pressure pumps for diesel engines, in particular for the utility vehicle market, are manufactured at Bosch in Homburg. A workforce of more than 6,000 is employed at the location.