Bosch auto boss: Cost pressure hurts innovation; Higher r&d levels, lower prices are in constant demand.(Suppliers)(Bernd Bohr of Robert Bosch GmbH)(Interview)

Automotive News, May, 2007 by Bolduc, Douglas A.; Bongard, Arjen

Byline: Arjen Bongard, Douglas A. Bolduc Automotive News Europe

Robert Bosch GmbH, the world's largest supplier, was hurt last year by production cuts in North America, higher raw material costs and strong pressure to cut prices.

In an interview with Automotive News Europe Editor Arjen Bongard and Staff Reporter Douglas A. Bolduc at Bosch's headquarters outside Stuttgart, Bernd Bohr, chairman of Robert Bosch GmbH's automotive division, shared the supplier's plans to tackle its North American problems, talked about strained relations with some automakers and outlined how Bosch will benefit from tougher carbon dioxide standards.

How do you characterize automaker-supplier relations today?

In general terms, 2006 was a tough year because...

Read the rest of this article with a Free Trial at HighBeam Research.

Premium Content Partnership | HighBeam Research provides an in-depth online archive library of reference works.