Bosch: Standardized parts can cut costs.(News)(Robert Bosch GmbH)(Brief article)

Automotive News, January, 2008 by Sherefkin, Robert

Byline: Robert Sherefkin

Bernd Bohr, head of the automotive division of Robert Bosch GmbH, wants a joint effort to get automakers to standardize parts.

Bohr said Bosch is pushing for standardization because suppliers and automakers face unprecedented investment demands. Spending on technologies to boost fuel economy and cut emissions will force r&d budgets skyward.

He told a dinner audience at the Automotive News World Congress last week here that Bosch makes 65 variants of its solenoid common-rail injector and 44 different heads for the ABS speed sensor.

"The functionality of all of these injectors or sensors is basically identical,'' he said. The overall number of variants could be greatly cut, he said. "This would yield economies...

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