Robert Bosch GmbH Historical Communications (C/CCH)

Postfach 30 02 20 70442 Stuttgart Robert Bosch Germany

Phone +49 711 811-44156 His life and work Fax +49 711 811-44504

Director: Dr. Kathrin Fastnacht www.bosch.com/cch

Further copies of this brochure can be ordered by email from: [email protected]

Journal of Bosch History Supplement 1 2 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 3

Foreword Contents

Cover photo: This brochure is dedicated to the life and work of Robert Bosch. This 4 The man Robert Bosch leaving the 6 “I also lacked the necessary patience and ambition” Stadthalle in Stuttgart completely new edition has been prepared by Robert Bosch GmbH and Childhood and education on September 23, 1936, Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH. Its task is not to present a comprehensive following the ceremonies on the occasion of the history of the company, but instead to sketch a portrait of Robert Bosch 12 “Dear Anna ...” fiftieth anniversary of the against the background of his personal and professional life. Robert Bosch’s marriage to Anna Kayser company. The day also marked his seventy-fifth 16 Assistant, advisor, and intermediary birthday. Robert Bosch had a watchword which guided him from his early youth: Robert Bosch’s marriage to Margarete Wörz “Never forget your humanity, and respect human dignity in your dealings with others.” Even if he was an enthusiastic technician and a passionate 20 Hunter’s tales and a natural paradise entrepreneur, it was people he was most interested in, and leadership Robert Bosch, hunter and farmer was his greatest strength. 26 The entrepreneur 28 “I would much prefer to do business on my own” The way he lived, also privately, the experience that shaped his thinking, The Workshop for Precision Mechanics the economic and political challenges he was forced to rise up to: all these and Electrical Engineering

things make the portrait of the man clearer and more meaningful – a man 32 The spark of genius who was a freethinking cosmopolitan with solid roots in his southwestern Robert Bosch and the magneto ignition device German homeland, a champion of technology whose heart nonetheless belonged to nature, a political thinker prone to outbursts of emotion, and 38 The years that changed everything Rationalization, diversification, and agreements yet a father figure and model of circumspection.

42 “Associates,” not wage earners It never ceases to surprise me how much of Robert Bosch lingers on in the From 1890, Robert Bosch visited Robert Bosch as an employer his customers on a bicycle he had company and the foundation today, almost 70 years after his death. Yet he imported from England expressly 46 The visionary did not hand his successors a strict rulebook that might limit their freedom for this purpose. In contrast to other bicycles of the day with their high 48 Education and healthcare to act. His is a subtler influence, born of his strength of character, his cha- wheels in front and low in the back, The civic initiatives of Robert Bosch risma. Indeed, his plausibility as a role model derives from his flaws as much his was quick and safe to ride. With his “safety bike,” the young entre- 52 The healing power of nature as it does from his qualities. He was a contemporary who was rough at the preneur caused something of a stir Homeopath and “lifestyle reformer” edges, a person who could be difficult. He was the source of much reverence on the streets of Stuttgart.

and much offense. Above all, he was an object of respect, since people knew 56 Liberal politics and social responsibility he was a careful thinker and keen observer, and that he was a person who Robert Bosch and politics kept his word, who “walked the talk.” 60 His final wishes The will of Robert Bosch I hope this brochure will find many readers, since it offers a chance to learn about Robert Bosch as a person, as well as about the origins of our 64 The lasting legacy of Robert Bosch company. Finally, it helps them to understand the respect the founder com- 70 Timeline mands to this very day, as well as the fascination evoked by his company.

Dr. Christof Bosch 4 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 5

The man

Robert Bosch with his wife Margarete and his son Robert junior, 1931 6 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 7

“I also lacked the necessary patience and ambition” Childhood and education

by Dr. Kathrin Fastnacht

For a man who would go down in history as the founder of a successful global technology and services company, Robert Bosch failed to show much inclina- tion for such matters at school. Indeed, all indications pointed, if anything, to a somewhat different career path: “My preference lay more with zoology and botany, but I was not at all fond of school [...].” However, his aversion was directed toward his teachers and, later, his instructors, rather than the subjects he was expected to learn. Even during his school years, Robert Bosch had a thirst for knowledge and had a wide range of interests.

Robert Bosch was born on September 23, inn late with their wagons, or to prepare Left: 1861, in Albeck near Ulm in southern malt lozenges for Robert whenever he Robert Bosch with his sister Maria, 1871 Germany. He was the eleventh of twelve was ill. children born to Servatius Bosch, the pros- perous innkeeper of the “Krone” in Albeck, The move to Ulm and his wife Maria Margaretha. Both par- The family’s move to Ulm marked the ents had inherited considerable property, first major upheaval in Robert Bosch’s which allowed the father to include farming life. In 1869, Servatius Bosch sold his and brewing among his trades. His father, inn and retired from business at the age a freemason with politically liberal views, of 53. Plans for a new railroad between was a very widely-read and well-educated Ulm and Heidenheim led him to fear he man. Robert Bosch later described his would lose his main customers, the team- mother as an exceedingly hard-working sters whose route took them through and sympathetic woman, always willing to Albeck. In addition, none of his adult get up during the night to provide meals children wanted to take over the inn for teamsters whenever they arrived at the and the farm that went with it.

Robert Bosch’s mother Robert Bosch’s father Maria Margaretha Servatius (1816 – 1880), (1818 – 1898), photo- photograph of an oil graph of an oil painting, painting, c. 1838 c. 1838 8 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 9

Robert Bosch during his military service, 1881 – 1882

Top left: Robert Bosch attended the secondary- Maier paid hardly any attention to the to Stuttgart, joining C. & E. Fein, a pioneer resumed his itinerant lifestyle as a journey- Below left: The house where technical school in Ulm, but he did not training of his apprentices, was frequently in the field of electrical engineering. Again, man. At the factory of Sigmund Schuckert From the fall of 1882 Robert Bosch was born, until the summer of have fond memories of this period: “I more absent from the workshop, and was gener- in Albeck, near Ulm: he remained there for just a few months in Nuremberg, he was mainly occupied 1883, Robert Bosch the inn “Zur Krone” or less muddled my way through school. ally unable to pass on much of value to before continuing his journeyman’s travels with the manufacture of electrical measur- worked at the factory We had a whole host of teachers who were those under his tutelage. After three years, and spending the time between spring ing instruments. However, as he noted, of Sigmund Schuckert Top right: either old or past it.” Although his ability at the age of 18, Bosch completed his 1880 and spring 1881 working in a chain “I couldn’t put up with Schuckert long in Nuremberg. From 1869 to 1876, ensured he remained in the upper half of apprenticeship. Above all else, his dream Robert Bosch attended factory in Hanau, near Frankfurt am Main. either, and by the summer I was already Below right: the secondary-technical the class, he never excelled. However, as now was to explore the world and learn It was during this time that his father died. in Göppingen with a man named Schäffer Robert Bosch, 1884 school on Olgastrasse he admitted himself: “I also lacked the something new. Robert Bosch was convinced his father’s who […] built arc lamps.” in Ulm. necessary patience and ambition.” For that death was a direct result of his life of lei- reason, and despite his desire to take up Journeyman’s travels sure: “It would have been better for him Predictably, the construction of arc studies in the field of zoology or botany, Having tried in vain to get a job in Heidel- not to have retired so early.” lamps joined the ranks of the occupations he opted not to go on to high school and berg, Pforzheim, and Karlsruhe, Robert unable to hold Bosch’s interest for long. qualify for university. Instead, he followed Bosch decided in the fall of 1879 to join In the spring of 1881, Robert Bosch Despite his lack of background knowledge, his father’s advice and began an appren- his brother Karl – 18 years his senior – returned to his brother’s business in he enrolled at Stuttgart Polytechnic as ticeship as a precision mechanic. However, in Cologne. He spent several months Cologne for a further six months to learn a non-registered student for the winter he was unfortunate in his choice of a mas- employed as a brass worker in Karl’s gas more about commercial matters. Then, semester of 1883 –1884. Although he later ter in Ulm – the “precision mechanic & and water pipe company. In the winter in the fall, he returned to Ulm to begin admitted that he learned relatively little optical instrument maker” Wilhelm Maier. of the same year, however, he moved on a year of military service. After that, he about science during these six months,

Robert Bosch’s diary, written on his voyage to America in May 1884 10 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 11

Top left: When he arrived in New York in the spring of 1884, Robert Bosch was fascinated by the Brooklyn Bridge.

Right: Robert Bosch (right) with one of his brothers, 1884

he did concede that his “studies” had ahead. It would be surprising if I could not him to return had evidently played a helped him overcome his “fear of technical make it in a country where any number of key role in his decision to come home: terminology […]. After that, I knew about other people have […].” “Had you not written such an appealing voltage and currents, and what horsepower letter, my stubborn dedication to my was.” On his arrival in the U.S., Robert Bosch mission would have seen me remain here, found a job in an Edison factory manufac- annoyed and bored, for another three Travels abroad turing all types of electrical equipment, months while gaining no further benefit Following this interlude at the polytechnic, including arc lamps, light fixtures, remote- than a minor improvement in my English.” Robert Bosch decided to extend the scope reading thermometers, and phonographs. Nonetheless, there were no immediate of his travels so that he could gain on-the- However, contrary to all his expectations, thoughts of marriage. Bosch took up one job experience beyond the borders of he did not feel he was learning anything last position of employment, this time at Germany. At that time, the U.S. and U.K. really new. Career-wise, things were not Buss, Sombart & Co. in Magdeburg. A few were home to many pioneers in the field of going quite to plan for Robert Bosch, and months later, he returned to southwest electrical engineering. Thanks to his tutor he experienced a period of unemployment Germany, and opened his own business at the polytechnic, Bosch had received a before once again finding a job at the on Rotebühlstrasse in Stuttgart in Novem- letter of recommendation for the Edison Edison Machine Works. In their letters to ber 1886 – the “Workshop for Precision works in New York. He duly set out from each other, Robert Bosch and Anna Kayser, Mechanics and Electrical Engineering.” Rotterdam aboard a Dutch steamer headed the sister of his friend Eugen Kayser, had After all the experience he had gathered for New York on May 24, 1884. Now aged agreed to become engaged, and so Bosch on the various stages of his journeyman’s 22, Robert Bosch kept a diary of the two- decided to return to Germany after a year career, Robert Bosch became an entrepre- week voyage in which he records not only in the U.S. On his way home, he stopped neur out of conviction. In his own business, amusing observations about his traveling off in England and spent the period as his own boss, he would at last be able companions, but also his own thoughts between May and December 1885 working to organize a company in the way he saw on his future career. Alongside a sense for Siemens Brothers in Woolwich, London. fit. Throughout the rest of his life, he placed of nervous excitement at the prospect of importance on highest quality and absolute entering the unknown, his jottings also After returning to Germany at Christmas reliability. He offered his associates respect reveal his strength of will to succeed as 1885, Robert Bosch became officially and trust, made it possible for them to well as considerable self-assurance: “[…] engaged to Anna. As his own writings receive good occupational and further I also intend to do everything I can to get reveal, a letter from his bride-to-be urging training, and provided exemplary working conditions. 12 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 13

“Dear Anna …” Robert Bosch’s marriage to Anna Kayser

by Dr. Kathrin Fastnacht

“No matter what happens, I must make you mine. If we should suffer any misfortune, there will always be your love for me, because I will fulfill my duty.” When Robert Bosch wrote these words to his fiancée Anna Kayser in November 1885, the cruel twist of fate that would destroy their relationship and their marriage still lay far in the future. The first years of their life together were governed by the waxing and waning fortunes of the small workshop that would take over a decade to truly find its feet.

Top left: During his period in the U.S. and U.K., progressive than his fiancée. She believed Anna Bosch, neé Kayser Robert Bosch wrote long letters to Anna that it was female nature to “rely on the (1864 – 1949), 1886 Kayser describing to his future wife his greater strength of the man […].” In con- Top right: character and his plans for the future. trast, he had made some astute observa- Robert and Anna Bosch, Today, these letters give us an insight into tions about cause and effect: “It is little c. 1890 the man himself, revealing his dependabil- wonder that women are incapable of pro- ity, his ambition, but also a tendency to found thoughts […] since, for centuries, erupt into sudden fits of anger. Bosch they have been denied the right to think admitted as much to his fiancée: “One of at all […].” Nonetheless, closer examina- my main failings is that I lose my temper tion of his letters reveals that his views easily. But I always regret this immediately were otherwise entirely characteristic of afterwards and am now at least able to the era. For instance, he urged Anna to ask forgiveness if I treat anyone unjustly.” acquire a thorough knowledge of cooking. The couple were married in the Lutheran The two of them did not always see eye church in Obertürkheim on October 10, to eye. On the question of women’s eman- 1887. cipation, Robert Bosch was in fact more The children Paula, Margarete, and Robert junior, c. 1900 14 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 15

year: “To my deep regret, I had to leave the depths of my soul. [...] I don’t know how company after only a short time because of many times I have asked myself why I my eyes.” This terse sentence marks the should still be alive when he – one so beginning of a sequence of events that young – had to suffer and waste away.” would culminate in the breakdown of the The parents each tried to come to terms marriage between Robert and Anna Bosch: with the death of their son in their own their son had developed multiple sclerosis. way. Two months later, Robert Bosch wrote The next few years were filled with health the following in a letter to his wife: “It’s cures and doctors’ appointments. Anna true that I prefer not to speak of Robert. Bosch was consumed by her worries and It is better that I deal with such things by the effort of caring for her son, who died myself. [...] I cannot change what has hap- after a long illness on April 6, 1921. pened, and I have to accept the inevitable.” While Bosch sought solace in his work and The breakdown of the marriage continued to play an active role in public Robert Bosch received the news of his life, his wife withdrew more and more from son’s death during a business trip to South society. Their grief and different ways of America: “No matter how much one hoped dealing with the death of their son drove his life would end peacefully, the fact that the couple further and further apart until he is now gone has moved me to the very the marriage was finally dissolved in 1927.

Anna Bosch with her son A growing family The nature lover Left: Robert junior, 1913 Robert and Anna Bosch’s first apartment Every year, the entire family would mark Margarete Bosch (1888 – 1972), painted by was located at 56 Schwabstrasse in the school vacations with a trip to the Georg Friedrich Zundel, Stuttgart. Their daughters Margarete and mountains. During these holidays and 1907 Paula were born there in 1888 and 1889. weekend trips to the Swabian Jura, the A year and a half later, the birth of their low mountain ranges to the south and east Right: Paula Bosch third child Robert prompted a move to a of Stuttgart, Robert Bosch passed on to (1889 – 1974), painted by larger apartment at 145 Rotebühlstrasse. his children his own great love for nature. Georg Friedrich Zundel, The arrival of their third daughter Erna Nonetheless, he always remained a strict 1907 Elisabeth in 1893 saw the family move to father. His daughter Margarete recalled: yet another new home, this time at 20 “He explained many things to us children Moltkestrasse. One year later, the Bosch and gave us an enormous amount of intel- family had to suffer the sudden death of lectual stimulation, particularly during little Elisabeth due to “acute diabetes.” our childhood years. But you had to watch out, because he wouldn’t explain anything Despite suffering these blows of fate in his a second time.” private life, business was soon doing well. During the period between roughly 1900 The heir apparent and 1910, Robert Bosch was able to see his Robert Bosch introduced his son to the business grow from a small workshop to a business early, letting him help with inven- global enterprise. This success was also tory-taking at the age of just eleven. He reflected in the family’s lifestyle. In 1902, regarded him as his successor. Young Bosch built a small villa at 7 Hölderlin- Robert took up a post as an apprentice in strasse, before embarking on the construc- his father’s company in 1909, but his career tion of the spacious villa at 31 Heidehof- came to an abrupt end only the following strasse in 1910. 16 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 17

Assistant, advisor, and intermediary Robert Bosch’s marriage to Margarete Wörz by Dr. Kathrin Fastnacht

When the 39-year-old Margarete Wörz married the now 66-year-old Robert Bosch in November 1927, he was already a successful entrepreneur. She in turn was well aware of the expectations society would place on the new Mrs. Bosch, and proceeded to live up to these with ease. In addition, the spacious house on Heidehofstrasse experienced a new lease on life with the birth of two further children. Given his displeasure with conditions under National Socialism, these new arrivals provided a degree of distraction for Robert Bosch.

Robert Bosch remarried shortly after his blissfully happy here. Robl [Robert] is Top left: Margarete Wörz divorce from Anna in 1927. Born on July 12, proving an accomplished skier. [...] Last In 1910 –11, Robert Bosch had a villa built on a plot (1888–1979), c. 1931 1888, Margarete Wörz was the daughter week, I finally had the chance to play curl- of parkland he had bought of the head forester Eberhard Wörz and ing again, which was a great pleasure.” on Heidehofstrasse in his wife Maria. She moved into the villa Stuttgart. on Heidehofstrasse after the wedding However, the life Robert Bosch now led Top right: and, in 1928, Robert and Margarete Bosch was by no means simply that of a private The renowned German celebrated the birth of their son Robert. individual. He continued to use his time architect Bruno Paul In the fall of 1930, the couple lost a child to further his many civic initiatives. Apart designed the dining room born prematurely. from international understanding, he was of the villa in the 1920s. especially concerned to help people in Their daughter Eva was born the following need and to contribute to a better educa- year. As Robert Bosch had already relin- tional system. quished responsibility for the day-to-day running of the business by the time he Withdrawal from public life remarried, he was able to spend a lot of After the National Socialists took power time with his wife and children. As with in 1933, Robert Bosch withdrew even more his first family, he often took Margarete from public life. Hitler’s intention to embark and their children Robert and Eva on trips on a new war became evident very early to the mountains, to the Bosch Farm in on, and this troubled Bosch deeply. Writing Bavaria, and to his hunting lodge near around 1935, Bosch’s private secretary Urach in the Swabian Jura. Writing from Felix Olpp reported: “The iniquity of the the Engadine area of southeastern Switzer- Nazis distressed Mr. Bosch greatly, and we land, he said: “My wife and children are were often at a loss as to how to calm him 18 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 19

down. At such times, I would call Mr. Mauk There are hardly any written accounts of vision for the future of his company and Even in death, the National Socialist regime [director of the Bosch Farm], who could Robert Bosch’s second marriage. Theodor for the legacy he would leave behind. Three refused to leave him in peace. A telephone always think of some important farm mat- Bäuerle, a close confidant, recalled the years later, he celebrated his 80th birthday call from Berlin announced that a state ters to discuss with Mr. Bosch. In the days following in his memoirs: “He took an at the Brenner Spa Hotel in Baden-Baden. funeral would be held on March 18, 1942. or weeks when Mr. Bosch was in particu- almost grandfatherly joy in his children He had purposely chosen this venue to On the eve of the funeral, a simple service larly low spirits, we would suggest that he and had great hopes of his growing son. avoid being presented the “Pioneer of took place in the Stuttgart plant in the go to the Bosch Farm, where Mr. Mauk was [...] Mrs. Margarete Bosch was extremely Labor” title by the National Socialist Party presence of Robert Bosch’s family. The usually able to lighten his mood.” clever in dealing with the idiosyncrasies in Stuttgart. The plan backfired, however, state funeral was held in the König Karl Hall of her husband. [...] She invited guests when Robert Ley, the National Socialist of the Landesgewerbemuseum in Stuttgart. Following the outbreak of war in September into their home so there was never any leader of the “Labor Front,” managed to 1939, the family moved to the Bosch Farm lack of entertainment or companionship, track Bosch down in Baden-Baden and Many obituaries paid tribute not only to the and the children attended school locally. and was careful to select guests who present the unwilling recipient with the entrepreneurial and personal achievements When Paula, his daughter from his first would satisfy his many interests.” In many award. of Robert Bosch, but also to the social marriage, invited the family to live in Sillen- respects, Margarete was also an assistant commitment demonstrated by the company buch near Stuttgart, Robert Bosch turned and advisor, as well as an intermediary The following winter, Robert Bosch was founder. Today, his memory continues to down her offer, saying: “We do not intend between the older and younger genera- plagued by serious illness. As Olpp recalled, be honored by the entire company, by the to return to Stuttgart while there is any tions. She thus became an enormous he nonetheless continued to pay regular Robert Bosch Stiftung, and by his direct danger of the city coming under attack. For support to Robert Bosch in his later years. visits to his administrative office: “He was descendants. one thing, we have the children to consider. working in his office just two or three For another, my associates in the company The final years days before his death. He wore a bandage would certainly not wish to think of me in After the company became a close corpora- around his head at ear level and was moan- danger.” tion (GmbH) in 1937, Robert Bosch put his ing with pain.” Robert Bosch died on March affairs in order before drawing up his will 12, 1942, of complications resulting from in 1938. In this document, he set out his an inflammation of the middle ear.

From left to right: Robert junior and Eva Bosch take to the track outside the Stuttgart riding arena, 1937.

Robert Bosch (third from left) on the deck of the ship that took him to the United States, 1924

Group photo in the spa gardens in Baden-Baden, showing Robert und Margarete Bosch (second and third from left), 1935 20 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 21

As early as his apprenticeship years in Ulm, Robert Bosch honed his shooting Hunters’ tales and a natural paradise skills using a Flobert rifle bought and paid for with his own pocket money. How- Robert Bosch, hunter and farmer ever, with sparrows the only quarry in his sights at this early stage, it would take another 20 years and more before he became a “real” hunter. Yet Robert Bosch by Dr. Kathrin Fastnacht was not simply a huntsman; he was also concerned with preserving and main- taining stocks of game. In addition to his passion for hunting, he also pursued his keen interest in agriculture at the Bosch Farm in Mooseurach. Here, instead of shooting at sparrows, he introduced a hugely diverse bird population that would feed on the insects that inhabited the marshland.

“Up until the year 1904, I hunted only in Hunting companions the summer months and in the mountains. Even with those nearest to him, Robert Then I leased the communal hunting estate Bosch’s manner remained somewhat at Magstadt [near Stuttgart] and found it an guarded and detached. Although this excellent source of relaxation. I had bought meant he did not have a great many close myself a small automobile and spent almost friends, his few true confidants knew they every Saturday afternoon and Sunday at could trust him implicitly. That said, the the hunting lodge. If the weather was good, level of familiarity in any such relationship I took my family with me, otherwise a fellow was always his to determine. His closest hunter or my son.” These hunting trips were friendships were reserved for the men not only about pursuing a favorite pastime. who shared his passion for hunting. They They were also about being close to nature. included Paul Reusch (1868 – 1956), the Each year from 1918 onwards, at the begin- Swabian CEO of Gutehoffnungshütte in ning of the mating season, he would spend Oberhausen, the professional hunter around eight days in Pfronten, located Georg Escherich (1870 – 1941), and Bosch’s in the Upper Allgäu region directly on the favorite hunting companion Otto Mezger border to Austria, stalking game on his (1875 – 1934), who was director of the new hunting grounds with head huntsman Chemical Investigation Office of the City Franz Schöll or other companions. of Stuttgart. As Robert Bosch’s associate

Left: Interesting perspectives: Robert Bosch (right) with estate director Mauk at the Bosch Farm, 1935

Right: Robert Bosch and his licensed hunter Seraphin Schöll, 1941 22 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 23

Bosch’s hunting estates in Urach in the suited his taciturn nature. However, after a Swabian Jura, in the Karwendel mountains successful hunting trip, he let himself relax in Tirol, and in the Allgäu region near and join in hearty renditions of hunting Pfronten soon became famous. Fellow songs, even though he was not necessarily hunters respected his careful husbandry the best of singers. of an impressive stock of game. Robert Bosch continued to hunt into old age, even The acquisition of the Bosch Farm when he was no longer able to tackle the Robert Bosch’s close affinity with nature strenuous climbs on foot and had to rely is also evident in his interest in agriculture: on a horse to carry him to the start of the “Agriculture in itself is one of the most hunt. As in his company’s production opera- interesting lines of business there is. It is tions, precision was everything on these more varied than virtually any other field, hunting expeditions and Bosch became for it has to do with zoology, botany, geol- renowned for his prowess as a marksman. ogy, chemistry, and meteorology in their Top left: Felix Olpp recalled: “His favorite guests Olpp described later, the expectations The law required hunting estate tenants to widest sense.” This enthusiasm for farming Robert Bosch (right) with included his estate manager Walther Mauk placed on the guests were equally high: be living persons, not organizations such emerged early in his career. In the period three further hunters and their trophies, c. 1938 from the Bosch Farm, various doctors, our “Mr. Bosch often said that, at Pfronten, as Robert Bosch GmbH. Following Robert around 1900, he had already toyed with the own Dr. Alfred Knoerzer, Messrs. August it was possible to build up relationships Bosch’s death, his wife Margarete therefore idea of purchasing the “Klein-Hohenheim” Top right: and Felix Schuler, director Ritter from that were virtually unknown in the office. took it upon herself to qualify as a hunter farm near Stuttgart. However, his wife Anna Robert Bosch (right) Daimler-Benz, and, above all, his friend He said that hunting reveals a completely in Pfronten so that the estates could be was far from keen on the idea. She was in with traveling compan- ions outside a hunting Schirg (the forestry director Dr. Georg different side to people. Discussions in retained for the family and for the company. all likelihood concerned that, if he added lodge in Sweden, 1917 Escherich).” the hunting lodges or at the ‘Krone’ inn in this project to his already very heavy work- Pfronten were always extremely useful to Robert Bosch derived a particular pleasure load, her husband would simply be taking An invitation to the hunt him from a business point of view.” If any from all aspects of hunting. The silence on too much. Being invited to join one of these hunting guest was unlucky enough to disappoint his that had to be maintained while stalking expeditions was a sign of great esteem. But host, it more or less put to rest any hopes as Robert Bosch’s private secretary Felix of a business relationship with Bosch.

Left: Robert Bosch with a seal in Sweden, 1917

Right: Robert Bosch with estate director Mauk on an inspec- tion tour of the Bosch Farm, 1932 24 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 25

Top left: After the first world war, Robert Bosch did poor soil in Upper Bavaria into a model then made use of what we would call eco- Following Robert Bosch’s death in 1942, Stand of the Bosch Modern silage facilities eventually take his first steps into the world farming estate, seven previously independ- friendly methods in creating an environ- Mooseurach became a haven for his second Farm at the agricultural at the Bosch Farm, 1930 exhibition in Munich, ent farmsteads were amalgamated to create of agriculture. However, this was done less ment that would attract hosts of birds, family, and Margarete Bosch carried on 1936 Top right: as a result of his passion for farming, and the Bosch Farm. “Back then, it seemed to thus providing a natural means of pest the farm with the aid of various managers. Advertisement for Bosch more as the result of an ill-advised invest- me a great feat to transform a mere bog control. On the farm at Mooseurach, Robert Although the estate was reduced in size Farm products, 1931 ment. Around 1912, he had acquired shares into a land of milk and honey.” Bosch built a house for his own family and on several occasions, it never managed to in a company in Beuerberg, Bavaria, that accommodation for a workforce that soon achieve a profit and operations finally came planned to use the Ekenberg process of The principles that governed his industrial numbered over 300. Yet despite his best to an end in 1976. The land once wrested electrolytic hydrogenation to produce peat projects were also brought to bear in his efforts, the Bosch Farm remained a subsi- from the moor has been undergoing a for use in the manufacture of fuel. However, agricultural activities. Bosch’s plan was to dized operation. As he would later admit, process of renaturalization since 1986, this process proved to be economically use state-of-the-art technology to produce he “acquired [the Bosch Farm] completely and the Bosch family now operates a small inviable. high-quality products that could be sold in by chance.” From that point onwards, he organic farm business on the site. the region. This project got under way with firmly believed that farming should be left From peat bog to a land of milk and honey the help of special machines, and a newly to those who really understood what they Far from being discouraged, this setback developed process of silage making was were doing. simply fuelled Bosch’s ambition. Having introduced. At the same time, Bosch even made plans to transform the expanses of 26 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 27

The entrepreneur

Robert Bosch at his desk at the factory in Stuttgart, 1906 28 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 29

“I would much prefer to do business on my own” The Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering

by Dieter Schmitt

In his letters to Anna Kayser, the woman who would later become his first wife, it is already clear that Robert Bosch wished to become self-employed and set up his own company. In the spring of 1886, however, he was still unsure where he should locate this new enterprise. Although Cologne had long been at the top of his list, he finally opted for Stuttgart. In all probability, this decision was based not only on the city’s economic prospects, but also on the fact that his fiancée lived in nearby Obertürkheim.

For his new venture into independence, Teething troubles once the pressure is removed, gas lighters, Left: Robert Bosch rented ground-floor rooms Robert Bosch could not afford the luxury shooting targets with electrical displays, Robert Bosch at the age of 25, 1886 in a courtyard-entrance building at of picking and choosing which orders to and no doubt many other things that I do 75 B Rotebühlstrasse in Stuttgart. His own accept. He turned his hand to any piece not recall.” Right: description of the premises lists “an office, of precision mechanics or electrical engi- The courtyard of the one larger and one smaller workshop, and neering work that came his way. Gottlob Yet despite even this extensive portfolio, building at 75 B Rotebühl- strasse. From 1886 until a room without its own light where the Honold, who was an apprentice at Bosch orders were sometimes sparse during 1890, the workshop was forge was housed.” On November 11, 1886, between 1891 and 1894, and later became the early years, leaving Bosch struggling located on the ground Robert Bosch established the “Workshop the head of development as well as a mem- to keep his workforce busy and pay their floor at the right. for Precision Mechanics and Electrical ber of the board of management, recalls wages on time. Not wishing to be in debt Engineering” with his very first associates – that the range of products and services to his associates, he borrowed money from a technician and an errand boy. However, was very diverse: “An electric stenograph his mother or took out loans for which his with official permission yet to be granted, machine, various large cameras with a focal family acted as guarantor. Occasionally, work could not begin immediately. The length of around 10 meters (lens distance), a neighboring fruit merchant helped out necessary permission arrived four days typewriters, speedometers, fountain pens, by offering smaller loans. In his memoirs, The first company plaque later on November 15, 1886, and it is this caliper compasses, photographic shutters, Richard Schyle, who worked for Bosch of the newly established date that has been regarded as the com- telephone cords, telephone terminals, line between 1891 and 1930, recounts that “Workshop for Precision pany’s foundation day ever since. The initial switches, electric bells, remote electrical Mechanics and Electrical Robert Bosch’s “workers may have been Engineering,” 1886 capital stock of 10,000 German marks came water-level indicators, electric elements, in a better financial position than he was from Bosch’s inheritance from his father, electrical door contacts and push buttons, at that time.” In retrospect, Robert Bosch who had died six years earlier. However, resistance bridges, cigar holders, faucets felt this was somewhat exaggerated, even this money was not destined to last long. for water pipes that empty automatically though he himself described his first years 30 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 31

associates such as Gottlob Honold knew The workshop environment To celebrate the exactly how to deal with such situations. Richard Schyle’s memoirs provide an insight completion of his He said that, from time to time, it was as into the atmosphere in the Bosch workshop thousandth magneto ignition device, if “a storm raged through the entire place” and records some of the lighter moments. Robert Bosch (back but “the skies soon cleared and peace For example, he relates that on one particu- row, third from left) was restored thanks to the good personal lar summer’s day when the heat in the took his associates relationship between employer and employ- workshop had become unbearable, Robert on a company outing, 1896. ees.” Bosch suddenly decided to shut up shop and give his staff the day off. He also notes While Robert Bosch demanded much from that his associates liked to sing while they his associates, he also made sure they had worked. Bosch supposedly enjoyed this so the equipment they needed to live up to his much that he tended to stay in his office so expectations. He knew his associates could they would not be interrupted or disturbed not produce the high-quality products he by his presence. In 1896, Robert Bosch demanded if they were working with inad- celebrated the assembly of the one thou- equate equipment at outdated benches. sandth magneto ignition device together with his associates, organizing an outing With this in mind, he invested the com­ to an inn near Stuttgart. By that time, the pany’s meager profits in the very latest magneto ignition device already accounted as a self-employed businessman as a that his customers should be offered machines and tools. In 1890, he purchased for most of the company’s sales. Even so, Below from left to right: “shambles,” plagued by constant highs work of the very highest standard. In 1921, a bicycle to help him fulfill his service con- no one had any inkling that this product The first advertisement placed by Robert and lows. In 1892, he faced a particularly he outlined this principle in the “Bosch- tracts. To enable his customers to contact would soon be the medium that would Bosch, in the Stuttgart difficult year and was obliged to reduce Zünder,” the associate newspaper: “I have him quickly and easily, he also took the make the Bosch name famous the world daily newspaper his workforce from 24 associates to just always acted according to the principle that step of installing a telephone at what was over. “Der Beobachter,” 1887 two. Nonetheless, Bosch succeeded in I would rather lose money than trust. The then the very considerable cost of 150 Stationary gasoline overcoming even these most trying of integrity of my promises, the belief in the German marks a year. A subscription to the engine from the 1890s, times. value of my products and in my word of magazine “Centralblatt für Elektrotechnik” equipped with a Bosch honor have always had a higher priority to kept him up to date with the latest industry low-voltage magneto Basic principles me than a transitory profit.” developments, and he also placed adver- ignition device

The rules of the workshop were strict. tisements in various other magazines to Technical drawing of the Robert Bosch placed great importance on If Robert Bosch observed any associate spread the word about his workshop. first Bosch low-voltage thriftiness, quality, punctuality, and disci- being careless or wasting materials, he was magneto ignition device pline. For him, it was absolutely crucial quick to take them to task. Long-serving with break-spark rodding, 1887 32 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 33

Robert Bosch had come across the The very first Bosch ignition device was From left to right: The spark of genius magneto ignition device more or less by duly delivered to Schmehl & Hespelt, a View to the first factory building owned by Robert chance. A mechanical engineer had inquired mechanical engineering company in the Bosch on Hoppenlau- Robert Bosch and the magneto ignition device whether Bosch might be able to replicate small town of Möckmühl in Württemberg. strasse in Stuttgart, a magneto ignition device he had seen However, Bosch had done more than photo from 1936 by Dieter Schmitt in Schorndorf. Accepting the challenge, simply copy the device he had seen in In the planning phase Robert Bosch traveled the 30 kilometers Schorndorf. He had also made improve- of the building, Robert from Stuttgart to Schorndorf to take a ments, replacing the heavy bar magnets Bosch contributed closer look. The purpose of the magneto with smaller, more stable U-shaped mag- his ideas to the drafts On March 16, 1900, Robert Bosch wrote a letter to his brother-in-law Eugen ignition device was to generate the electric nets. This made the magnets stronger and of the architects Beisbarth & Früh, 1900. Kayser, proudly announcing his plans to buy a building in Stuttgart and set up spark needed to cause the air-fuel mixture meant that the device worked even better. in a stationary internal-combustion engine a factory of his own. The new building marked the start of the company’s Robert Bosch proudly to explode. Over the next few years, Bosch manufac- announces to his brother- transformation from a small courtyard-entrance workshop in Stuttgart to an tured the magneto ignition device in grow- in-law Eugen Kayser that he has bought an apart- Sales driver ing, albeit still relatively small, numbers. industrial enterprise with sales offices and locations throughout the world. ment building at 2 B This commercial breakthrough was fuelled by the achievements Bosch and his The device Robert Bosch had traveled to He delivered a total of nine magneto igni- Militärstrasse, and that see was mounted on an engine manufac- tion devices in 1888, and 23 the following he plans to build a new associates had made in developing the magneto ignition device into the best tured by the Cologne-based company year. In 1891, that figure rose to more factory next door, 1900. automotive ignition system of its age. Deutz. Having ascertained that the magneto than 100 and, for the first time, the device ignition device was not patent-protected, accounted for over 50 percent of the work- Bosch succeeded in producing a replica. 34 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 35

Left: The first Bosch high-voltage magneto ignition system, the HdH magneto, 1902

Right: Bosch developed magneto ignition systems for vehicles such as this motorized three-wheeler built by Heinle & Wegelin, featuring a back seat and trailer, 1897.

shop’s sales. From that point onwards, company De Dion-Bouton to Stuttgart, tem. To ensure prompt supplies for his that he was now a “houseowner” and pre- Top: it served as the commercial bedrock of with the request that it be fitted with a customers outside Germany, Bosch and dicted that his investment would pay off Advertisement for the Bosch magneto ignition Bosch. magneto ignition device. Doubting Simms’s Simms jointly set up the first Bosch sales within just a few years. The card up his system placed by Bosch’s claim that the engine could run at some office in London in 1898. This served the sleeve: attached to the building was a Austrian sales agents However, the first Bosch magneto ignition 600 revolutions per minute, Robert Bosch U.K. market, and further offices were estab- sizeable lawn where he intended to build Dénes und Friedmann, devices had one major flaw that initially and his master craftsman Arnold Zähringer lished in France and Austria the following a new factory. c. 1905

prevented any further expansion of this decided to test it for themselves. As it year. Below, left: field. As a consequence of their design, happened, the only person brave enough Robert Bosch was careful to ensure that his French advertisement they were only suitable for low-speed sta- to undertake the first test run on this un-­ “I am a houseowner now” new factory reflected his own ideas. It was for the Bosch automotive tionary engines. Engines of this type were usually speedy machine was Max Rall, an With business taking off across Europe, the first structure in Stuttgart to be built lighting system, featuring headlights, generator, used to drive machinery in factories and apprentice who later became a member it was now possible – and indeed neces- using reinforced concrete, a real innovation voltage regulator, and mills, for example, where their size and of the board of management. He promptly sary – to increase the level of investment at that time. In addition, Bosch paid close battery, 1914 weight were of next to no significance. crashed into a stack of empty wine barrels in Stuttgart. In 1900, Robert Bosch pur- attention to the design of the workspace The sheer size of these engines meant they belonging to the neighboring wine mer- chased an apartment building in Militär- within the building. Large windows ensured Below, right: Test drive of the first were able to generate enough power to chant Hirsch. A further attempt on the open strasse (now Breitscheidstrasse), not far there was enough light, for example, while Bosch company car, with fulfill their purpose even at low speeds road revealed that the engine was actually from his existing workshop premises. In a sophisticated ventilation system kept the Gustav Klein, Gottlob of around 120 revolutions per minute. In capable of reaching around 1,800 rpm. letters to his friends, he proudly announced air fresh. On April 1, 1901, Bosch and his Honold, Ernst Ulmer, the years that followed, their speed was Arnold Zähringer (from left to right), 1907 increased to some 200 to 300 revolutions One thing was now abundantly clear: in its per minute, but this was as fast as magne- current form, the magneto ignition device tos of this kind could go. They were simply would never be capable of achieving such not suitable for the smaller, faster engines speeds. However, with neither Bosch nor that were required for the modern vehicles Zähringer prepared to give up so easily, of the age, such as motorized carriages, Zähringer was finally struck by an ingenious bicycles, and three-wheelers. These new idea. Instead of the heavy armature, he engines were capable of achieving speeds came up with the startlingly simple solution of over 1,000 revolutions per minute. of a smaller, oscillating sleeve inside the magneto. Magneto ignition in automobiles In 1897, the English automotive pioneer Many drivers were now keen to replace the Frederick Richard Simms sent a three- unreliable ignition systems currently fitted wheeler manufactured by the French in their vehicles with this new Bosch sys- 36 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 37

Above from left to right: 45 associates moved into the new building, task of finding a way to dispense with the Worldwide growth Robert Bosch decided to set up his own Robert Bosch at the whose name – “Elektrotechnische Fabrik failure-prone break-spark rodding used in The company now entered a period of rapid manufacturing site in Springfield, Massa- official opening ceremony for the factory in Paris, Robert Bosch” (Robert Bosch Electrical the magneto ignition device. The rodding growth. Both the older low-voltage magneto chusetts, to circumvent high import duties shown together with Engineering Factory) – was emblazoned was the cause of frequent problems and, ignition device and the new high-voltage and reduce transportation costs. In just a associates and business down the exterior of the stairwell in large as it had to be adapted to each individual system sold like hot cakes worldwide. few short years, the U.S. had become by far partners, among them letters. engine, it was also extremely complicated Although only just built, the new factory the most important sales market for Bosch. Frederick Simms (fifth from right), 1905 to manufacture. was soon bursting at the seams and Bosch High voltage had to constantly expand his premises in Robert Bosch AG Entrance of the factory in That day also marked the return of Gottlob Despite numerous failed attempts, Honold the west of Stuttgart. In 1905, he was able The outbreak of the first world war in the Paris, c. 1906 Honold. Having completed his apprentice- persisted in his efforts to find a solution. to inaugurate the company’s second pro- summer of 1914 was an unmitigated catas-

Group photo of impor- ship, he had left Bosch in order to work as He finally developed a high-voltage magneto duction location together with his most trophe for Bosch. The vast majority of the tant Bosch associates of a technician at other companies. After then ignition system that used spark plugs important associates and business part- company’s key foreign markets vanished the early years: Gustav studying in Stuttgart and carrying out his instead of the unreliable break-spark rod- ners: a factory in Paris, set up as a joint in one fell swoop and most of Germany’s Klein, Gottlob Honold, military service, he bumped into his former ding. When Honold unveiled the first proto- venture with Frederick Simms. However, wartime enemies seized not only the com- Ernst Ulmer, and Hugo Borst (from left to right), mentor, who persuaded him to return to type in December 1901, Robert Bosch was with tensions already existing between the pany’s tangible assets, but also its indus- 1906 Bosch as an engineer. Robert Bosch set up clearly impressed, declaring: “You have hit partners, the relationship soon deterio- trial property rights, patents, and brands. a new laboratory for Honold in the court- the bull’s eye!” rated. Bosch was increasingly dissatisfied yard of the new factory, and set him the with the Englishman’s business practices The war also affected Robert Bosch deeply and wanted them to go their separate ways on a personal level. As early as 1912, when as soon as possible. He even considered the Balkan crisis had been threatening to selling his company to Simms lock, stock, destroy peace in Europe, he had written to Below left: and barrel, including the joint ventures in a friend, saying: “I would willingly pay ten Camille Jenatzy driving his Mercedes at the England and France. million marks if it meant I could prevent a Gordon Bennett Race war.” As if to compound these business and in Ireland, 1903. The Bosch appointed a friend of Honold’s political difficulties, Bosch was also faced Belgian race driver was named Gustav Klein to handle the negotia- with increasingly trying times in his private later reincarnated as the “Red Devil,” the legen- tions. In 1906, Bosch finally cut all ties life. The serious illness that had afflicted his dary Bosch advertising with Simms and assumed sole responsibil- son was weighing heavily on both Bosch figure. ity for sales operations in what were then and his wife. When Robert Bosch also fell the primary markets – England and France. ill, his own concerns and those of his key Below right: Poster for spark plugs He was now in a position to take the plunge associates prompted him to address the showing the “Red Devil,” and enter the transatlantic market. Armed question of who should succeed him at the 1913 with a list of key American automakers, helm of the company. In 1917, therefore, he Gustav Klein set off for the U.S. in 1906. and his senior executives established Robert Robert Bosch later described the trip by Bosch AG. This new stock corporation pur­ Klein and his colleagues as a real “triumph.” chased the business operations of Robert In just a few weeks, Klein managed to Bosch, which up to that time had been run secure orders worth more than 1 million in sole proprietorship. Robert Bosch himself dollars. Over the next few years, business kept a 51 percent majority shareholding. with the U.S. went through the roof, and The remaining 49 percent of the shares were held by the senior executives. 38 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 39

The two decades that followed the first world war brought dramatic changes The years that changed everything to Bosch as a company. Economic turmoil and fundamental shifts in the Rationalization, diversification, geopolitical situation meant Bosch had to develop new strategies that would equip the company for the future, while still retaining its traditional standards and agreements of quality. Assembly-line work, an expansion of the product portfolio, and international joint ventures enabled the company to successfully carve a new by Christine Siegel niche for itself against this backdrop of change.

The years after the first world war were try there was undergoing a veritable boom. The company founder a time of considerable challenge for the In Buenos Aires, he laid the foundation Robert Bosch at the age company, as well as of personal tragedy stone for a sales office that would coordi- of 67 for Robert Bosch. This period was over- nate sales of Bosch products, not only shadowed by the death not only of Bosch’s in Argentina but also throughout South first-born son Robert in 1921, but also America. of several close associates who had long played an active role in the successful Expansion of the product portfolio development of the company. Until the mid-1920s, the Bosch product portfolio had been limited to automotive The company was also hit hard by the equipment. In addition to ignition systems unstable political climate and economic and automotive lighting, Bosch had also upheavals. In addition, the lack of orders extended the company’s research and from abroad was felt all too keenly follow- production activities to include new areas. ing the end of the war, particularly since Horns, batteries, servo brakes, windshield Bosch had generated the majority of its wipers, and turn signals became part of the pre-1914 sales outside Germany. In the Bosch range. At the same time, the diesel period up to 1918, Germany’s former war- engine was generating increasing interest time enemies had been busy building up within the automotive industry. With much their own automotive supply industries, lower flammability, diesel fuel posed less and these were now serious competitors of a fire risk than gasoline. In addition, the for Bosch in the global market. diesel engine consumed less fuel than its gasoline-powered counterpart. Recognizing New strategies the potential in this field, Bosch tested Robert Bosch and his senior management prototype injection pumps for diesel drew up a number of strategies in response engines in 1923 and 1924. The fully devel- to these challenges. In order to win back oped product went into series production the markets outside Germany, Bosch re­- at the end of November 1927. The first established contacts with business partners customer was M.A.N. from the pre-war period, wherever this was possible. In 1921, the creation of the Rationalization and crisis Bosch Car Service resulted in vehicle serv- This expansion of the product portfolio ice stations being set up worldwide and came in response to the increasing com- helped to spread the reputation of Bosch petitive pressure exerted by the industries products right around the globe. That same that had developed outside Germany. How- year, Robert Bosch undertook a journey to ever, in order to maintain a strong position South America to explore the potential of in the market, it was also necessary to this region’s markets. The automotive indus- rationalize production processes, and in 40 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 41

this way to make them more economical. Although health problems meant Bosch Accordingly, assembly-line production was now felt unable to fulfill this role himself, also introduced in Stuttgart from 1925. he was still eager to provide support and advice to the new board of directors. Yet before these measures had a chance to take proper effect, a major crisis rocked Cooperation and licenses the automotive industry to its core. In the Rationalization was just one of the ways period between 1925 and 1926, sales in which Robert Bosch and his board of dropped by 35 percent. Many associates management aimed to tackle the challenges had to be laid off and work in the plants posed by the unsettled economic climate was cut back to just three days a week. and increased competition. Another option These rationalization measures also was to diversify by expanding beyond the affected the company’s senior executives. automotive market. Robert Bosch wrote The company’s board of management was in 1927: “We ourselves are trying to move stripped back from eleven members to just away from automotive work if we can, or, three members and three deputies. Reshuf- to be more precise, to add more strings to fling the board of management now gave our bow.” Robert Bosch opportunity to place respon- Assembly-line workers sibility for the company in the hands of a By acquiring a number of companies and hammer drills. 1933 heralded the market Although the company was very much By diversifying into new producing spark plugs, triumvirate, effectively a board of directors, expanding production into new areas, it launch of the very first Bosch refrigerator, on course economically by the mid-1930s, product areas at the 1925 beginning of the 1930s, comprising Hans Walz (commercial affairs), took Robert Bosch AG only a few short while the purchase of the Junkers gas-fired conditions under the National Socialist the automotive supplier Hermann Fellmeth (engineering), and Karl years to transform itself from a supplier appliance manufacturing business in 1932 dictatorship weighed heavily on Robert Bosch was transformed Martell Wild (sales and human resources). of automotive parts into an electrical engi- saw Bosch enter the heating systems busi- Bosch. The regime’s discrimination against into an electrical engi- They were charged with the task of continu- neering group. The product that launched ness. The company also made additional Jewish citizens, coupled with the prospect neering company. ing to run the company – then known as this new era was the Forfex hair trimmer, acquisitions in the fields of radio, television, of another war and a renewed loss of Robert Bosch AG – in accordance with the a power tool with a motor in the handle. It and film and camera technology. foreign markets, alarmed not only Robert principles and wishes of its founder. was to become the precursor of drills and Bosch, but also his board of management. Alongside rationalization and diversifica- By this time, Robert Bosch had already tion, the company management instituted a chosen Hans Walz as a worthy successor, policy of cooperation with competitors both and as a man capable of running the busi- in and outside Germany in order to secure ness in his spirit and according to his prin- its position on the international stage. ciples. In the period after 1926, Hans Walz In 1924, Bosch merged with Eisemann, a had increasingly assumed the role of man- Stuttgart-based company that manufac- aging director and designated “next in line.” tured products of a very similar nature. In a letter to Walz written in 1940, Robert Four years later, in 1928, production opera- Bosch wrote: “What would have become tions got under way at a new joint venture, of the company, what would have become Lavalette-Bosch, near Paris. In 1931, the of me had you not been there over the last first products manufactured by C.A.V.-Bosch twenty years!” rolled off the production line in London. C.A.V. was a subsidiary of the British Bosch After the outbreak of the second world competitor Joseph Lucas Ltd. The German- war, Robert Bosch relinquished more and Italian operation MABO was founded in more of his responsibility for the company. 1935 as the last in a series of European His death in 1942 meant he did not live to joint ventures that relieved competitive witness the production of ever more arma- pressure and allowed Bosch to avoid high ments, the massive use of forced labor, and import duties. High customs tariffs also the ultimate destruction of his plants by prompted Bosch to grant licenses to local Allied bombs. In the words of his biogra- companies in Japan, Australia, and Argen- pher Theodor Heuss: “That was a merciful tina, permitting them to manufacture Bosch blessing.” products. 42 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 43

“Associates,” not wage earners Robert Bosch as an employer

by Christine Siegel

When Robert Bosch and his modest year, Fischer had already achieved the Left: workforce of just two associates moved position of master craftsman in the test Engineers from the injection-pump testing into his first small workshop in Stuttgart’s workshop. As a close associate of Gottlob department photo- Rotebühlstrasse in 1886, they did so under Honold, Fischer worked on improving the graphed on the load the curious gaze of a four-year-old boy spark plug and its applications in racing area of a Benz truck who lived in the same building with his cars and aircraft. at the Stuttgart plant, together with Robert parents. Young Otto Fischer observed every Bosch (front), 1926 single detail. Full of astonishment, he saw The benefits of responsibility the young man with the full beard set off Robert Bosch felt it was very important Below, from left ro right: to visit his customers on his new-fangled to maintain direct contact with his associ- The director of the spark plug plant in Feuerbach, bicycle, and closely watched the techni- ates. Rather than simply earning a wage, Paul Grundler (left), cians at work. What he saw must have he wanted them to feel they were a part takes Robert Bosch on an made a lasting impression on him, for he of the bigger picture, fully integrated into inspection tour through later decided to take up a technical appren- the business and its operations: “It has production, 1941. ticeship. also been an established principle of mine to cultivate eager associates by letting Having completed his years as an appren- each individual work independently as far tice and journeyman with flying colors, as possible while at the same time delegat- Otto Fischer joined Bosch in 1905. As he ing the responsibility that goes with the was not personally involved in this new task.” Ultimately, this willingness to assume appointment, Robert Bosch was unaware responsibility also brought financial ben- of his new associate. However, when he efits. The associates at Bosch were paid learned of this latest addition through a comparatively high wages. Robert Bosch chance encounter with Otto Fischer, Bosch summed up this reciprocal relationship visited him at his workplace in the test in an essay dating from 1931: “I don’t pay workshop the very next day. Bosch contin- good wages because I have a lot of money. ued to take a benevolent interest in the I have a lot of money because I pay good young, talented technician. By the following wages.”

For Robert Bosch, it was extremely important that his associates should be able to apply their skills and use their potential to the full. As a socially-minded entrepreneur, he was committed not only to giving his associates the best possible opportunities to advance their careers, but also to improving their working and living conditions. This made him a father figure to his associates. 44 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 45

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the company, a procession was organized in which all associates partici- pated.

Above, from left to right: However, having been given this responsi- Motivation and identification share.” Even today, this remains the main increasing rationalization of work proc- Chance meeting: bility, associates had to prove themselves Ever since its establishment, exemplary objective of the associate newspaper, which esses, more specialists and fewer “all- associates from the light plant in Feuerbach, on a worthy of it at all times. As a man who ran working conditions and a good work envi- is now published in nine languages. rounders” had to repeatedly perform the company outing in Ulm, a tight financial ship, Robert Bosch had ronment had been the hallmarks of the same task. Nonetheless, Bosch wanted suddenly encountered little patience for disorder at the workplace company. Robert Bosch knew very well However, social benefits were not limited his apprentices to continue to have an the company founder or poor workmanship. During the early how these factors affected his associates’ to those associates currently employed all-round training program, and so he Robert Bosch, 1936. years in the new factory, the usual response motivation and, in the end, the profitability by the company. In 1929, the company brought them together in the newly-formed Motivation for associates: to the question “Seen the ‘godfather’ today of the company as a whole. In 1906, he was launched Bosch-Hilfe, a retirement and apprentice training department. One of in-company advertise- yet?” was “No, but I have certainly heard one of the first employers to introduce the surviving dependents’ providence fund the people who responded to the advertise- ment featuring quota- him.” Nonetheless, the nickname “god- eight-hour working day. However, this move intended to provide support to employees ment for a new head of the apprentices’ tions of Robert Bosch, 1943 father” also reveals another side to Robert was motivated not simply by concern for and their relatives. On its introduction, workshop, August Utzinger, was an old Bosch: his awareness of his duty towards the social welfare of the associates, but this scheme was backdated to cover the acquaintance of Robert Bosch, whom his employees and their welfare. This was also by sound business sense. Under this period to January 1, 1927. The foundation he had met and come to respect during a responsibility he took especially seriously. system, associates worked more effectively, of Bosch-Hilfe e.V. marks the start of the his journeyman’s travels. He proved an In his business dealings, he never forgot were more motivated, and managed the company’s schemes to provide its employ- extremely fortunate addition to this new that the fate of an increasing number of same amount of work in a shorter period ees with a guaranteed pension. department. associates depended on the fortunes of his of time. In addition, it was now possible to company. In periods of crisis in particular, introduce a two-shift system. Fortunate choices In selecting Utzinger, as well as many of this burden of responsibility weighed heav- Concern for the welfare of his associates his other key associates, Robert Bosch ily on Robert Bosch. As the company devel- Thirteen years later, the associate news- also led Robert Bosch to establish a sepa- demonstrated a real “Midas touch.” oped into a large industrial enterprise and paper “Bosch-Zünder” was launched to rate apprentice training department in Together with people such as Gottlob it became impossible to maintain a personal motivate associates and help them identify 1913. As someone who had been deeply Honold, the head of development responsi- relationship with each and every associate, with the company. The first edition, pub- disappointed by his own apprenticeship ble for numerous technological innovations, Robert Bosch’s own direct commitment lished on March 15, 1919, announced: and the commitment – or lack of it – shown and Gustav Klein, the driving force behind to associate welfare was replaced by a “This newspaper was born out of a wish by his master, Bosch was determined to do the process of internationalization, Bosch comprehensive in-company program of to involve the people who work for us more things better in his own company. In the was able to build up a successful industrial social benefits. in the day-to-day life, the fate, the anxieties, small artisan workshop where the company enterprise. Today, the company is still and the hopes of the company – the com- had spent its earliest years, he only ever staffed by people who see themselves as pany in which they have placed their trust, employed two apprentices at any one time “associates,” and not merely as wage or to which they devote their strength, knowl- and was careful to ensure they received salary earners – just as Robert Bosch edge and ability, and whose future they comprehensive training. As a result of the intended. 46 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 47

The visionary

Pathbreaking: Robert Bosch (third from left) at the opening of the Robert Bosch Hospital, 1940 48 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 49

Education and healthcare The civic initiatives of Robert Bosch by Dr. Sabine Lutz

In 1935, in the guidelines for the executors In addition to his efforts to provide shelter Far left: of his will, Robert Bosch outlined what his for the wounded, Robert Bosch was also View into a patient room at the Robert Bosch civic initiatives aimed to achieve: “It is my concerned about the living conditions of Hospital, 1940. Robert intention, apart from the alleviation of all workers and their families. The general Bosch (right) is standing kinds of hardship, to promote the moral, shortage of housing meant rents were on the balcony. physical, and intellectual development of unaffordable for most of these families. Top left: the people.” As a result, most of them lived in horribly Robert Bosch delivering cramped and miserable conditions. The his address at the open- “The alleviation of all kinds of hardship” Schwäbische Siedlungsverein was a non- ing of the Robert Bosch Robert Bosch’s actions during the first profit organization that sought to promote Hospital, 1940 world war in particular are clear evidence the construction of affordable housing. Top right: of his willingness to make generous dona- When it was set up in 1915, Robert Bosch Construction of the Independence, family tradition, and an early concern with contemporary tions in times of dire need. In the very contributed a full two-thirds of its initial Neckar Canal near first year of the war, he donated over funding of 1.5 million German marks. Heilbronn, 1932. social issues formed the roots of the civic initiatives championed by Robert Photograph: ullsteinbild 400,000 German marks to the City of Bosch. At the same time, he was well aware that he could not put his vision of Stuttgart, most of which was used to help In view of the widespread hardship and corporate social responsibility into practice unless his company was profitable. war orphans. With space urgently needed suffering caused by the war, Robert Bosch Accordingly, he saw himself not as a benefactor, but as a “socially minded for a field hospital, Robert Bosch made did not want to profit from the income businessman.” halls available in his newly constructed generated by armaments contracts. This “light plant” in Feuerbach near Stuttgart. prompted him to set up his largest chari- As a result, no generators were actually table foundation: “When the war came and assembled in the building until two years brought with it new military contracts, [...] after its completion. it appalled me to think that I was making 50 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 51

money while others were sacrificing In the field of higher education, the primary tion that awarded grants to gifted individ- “Deutsche Liga für den Völkerbund” their lives. At the end of 1916, I decided beneficiary of these activities was what is uals, which had lost its main source of (German Federation for the League of to use any profits from the war to set up now the University of Stuttgart. Based on financial support due to the death of its Nations) founded by Matthias Erzberger. a foundation to support the construction his own personal experience and his years founder. Robert Bosch was also particularly of the Neckar Canal.” Although the City of as an entrepreneur, he knew only too well committed to expanding adult education, “Promote physical development” Stuttgart had long harbored plans to canal- the importance of educating young people as evidenced by his involvement in the When it came to healthcare, Robert Bosch ize the River Neckar to improve shipping, with a flair for technology. Established in “Verein zur Förderung der Volksbildung” was a dedicated supporter of alternative the project had been postponed due to 1910, his first major foundation used one (Society to Support Public Education) medicine. In the period from 1915 to 1916, lack of funds. Robert Bosch donated twenty million marks at its disposal to provide managed by his friend Theodor Bäuerle. he supplied a total of three million marks million marks to this project. With work generous support to research and teaching A pioneer in its field, the association had, to help achieve his ambition of setting up a scheduled to begin after the war, thirteen at what was then the Stuttgart Polytechnic. among other things, taken over responsibil- homeopathic hospital. In 1936, he marked million marks were set aside for the con- He played a key role in setting up the ity for the new Stuttgart adult education the double celebration of his 75th birthday struction of the Neckar Canal itself, while “Vereinigung der Freunde der Technischen center. For Bosch, education was more and the company’s 50th anniversary by the interest from the endowment as a Hochschule” (Association of Friends of than just the accumulation of knowledge. donating a further 5.5 million marks to this whole was donated to the city authorities the Polytechnic) in 1923. He provided the It also meant developing the ability “to project. Robert Bosch’s civic initiatives for the purpose of relieving social depriva- financial backing for the association and make the right political decisions and to during his lifetime reached their pinnacle tion. also acted as its chairman. recognize false doctrines as such.” In the with the opening of the Robert Bosch politically turbulent era of the Weimar Hospital in Stuttgart in 1940, two years “Promote intellectual development” Alongside his interest in improving condi- Republic, Robert Bosch wanted more than before his death. With Robert Bosch showing a keen interest tions at universities and colleges, Robert ever to play his part in promoting a basic in education throughout his life, it is hardly Bosch also wanted gifted schoolchildren to understanding of democracy based on He also made sure that these activities surprising that it became one of the main have the opportunity to study. To that end, the “recognition of the rights and merits continued. In accordance with his will, beneficiaries of his endowment activities. he founded and donated two million marks of others.” This view also underpinned Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable In addition to schools, colleges, and univer- to the “Förderung der Begabten” society in his decision to support the university of foundation set up in 1964, carries on his sities, he also focused on vocational train- 1916. From 1932 onwards, he also covered political science run by the liberal politician work to promote and support the sciences, ing and adult education. the costs of the Markel-Stiftung, a founda- Friedrich Naumann, as well as the health, international understanding, and education in contemporary form.

Left: Left: Wounded patients and The Bundesverdienstkreuz nursing staff at the field (Federal Cross of Merit) hospital set up at the light is conferred to Marianne plant in Feuerbach, 1915 Weber, 1967. Ms. Weber had worked closely with Theodor Bäuerle, whose efforts to promote adult education in Germany were strongly supported by Robert Bosch.

Right: Certificate of appointment of Robert Bosch to honorary doctor, honorary senator, and freeman of the Stuttgart Polytechnic, 1941 52 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 53

The healing power of nature Drawing of the Homeopathic Homeopath and “lifestyle reformer” Hospital in Stuttgart (draft), 1914 by Prof. Dr. Robert Jütte

There is an element of Lebensreform philosophy in Robert Bosch’s support of alternative medicine. His sympathy for the views of this “lifestyle reform” movement is also reflected in his preference for woolen clothing. Yet Bosch was not dogmatic in his views on the causes of illness and what constituted a healthy lifestyle. Despite his staunch support for homeopathy, he was also open to other forms of treatment, even conventional medicine. Today, the Robert Bosch Hospital and the Institute for the History of Medicine still stand testament to his commitment in the field of healthcare.

On September 22, 1941, the Stuttgart What is the common denominator? The When he wrote these words, Robert Bosch Prof. Dr. Gustav Jäger City Council decided to present Robert historian Golo Mann may have the answer: was by no means alone in his criticism of (1832 – 1917) in woolen Bosch with a plot of land to mark his 80th the “workings of the living spirit of the conventional medicine. Even in the second clothing birthday. With Bosch already holding the individual,” he says, follow no hard and third of the 19th century, there were still Freedom of the City of Stuttgart, this new fast rules. Sometimes, he adds, certain only very few treatments that would be honor recognized his “lasting services […] things are required to co-exist even though considered effective today, such as using to the science of homeopathy and natural “they appear to be at complete odds with quinine to treat fever. It is therefore hardly remedies, and to promoting good health each another.” Yet this still leaves a second surprising that hundreds of thousands of among the general populace.” This plot of fundamental question unanswered. What people shared this critical view of medicine. land was to be used to build a museum that was it that attracted an industrialist like would “bring to life the work of Paracelsus Robert Bosch to such an area of activity – When Robert Bosch attended lectures and the other great names in alternative one that had no bearing on his company at Stuttgart Polytechnic in 1883 – 84, the medicine.” But this was not the only honor at the time? As is so often the case, the man who impressed him most was not an conferred on Robert Bosch on his 80th answer can be found in his upbringing and electrical engineer, but a physician. After birthday. To mark the same occasion, the family environment. many years of research, Prof. Gustav Jäger Faculty of Medicine at the University of (1832 – 1917) had come to the conclusion Tübingen awarded him an honorary doctor- In harmony with nature that wool was better for the human skin ate. An excerpt from Robert Bosch’s memoirs than vegetable fibers. The “Normalkleidung sheds further light on this: “My father was für Herren” (woolen clothing for men) The contrast between these two honors himself a dedicated follower of homeopa- advocated by Prof. Jäger consisted of could hardly be more striking. While the thy. Even as a young boy, I never received garments made of breathable animal wool. first was awarded in recognition of Robert anything other than alternative treatments. It was also through Jäger that Bosch be- Bosch’s contribution to alternative medi- I am extremely sensitive to all types of came familiar with the principles of the cine, the second was an acclamation from medicine and have discovered that homeo- Lebensreform movement, whose slogan an institute of conventional medicine. pathic medicines have a strong effect on was “Back to nature!” In addition to natural me, even when diluted by a factor of one thousand.” 54 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 55

crisis making any plan to build a new not only in the practical use of homeo- hospital inconceivable, plans were instead pathy in combination with other forms made to set up a homeopathic “interim of complementary medicine (such as hospital” on Marienstrasse. Just as he the Bircher diet and hydrotherapy), but had earlier helped to fund a homeopathic also in the history of natural medicine field hospital during the war, Robert Bosch as a whole and of homeopathy in particu- once again stepped in to offer financial lar. In 1926, Robert Bosch purchased a support. It was not until April 1940 that valuable collection of texts on the history he was able to see his plan finally come of homeopathy from Richard Haehl to fruition with the opening of the homeo- (1873 – 1932), a physician based in pathic hospital that bore his name – the Stuttgart. Together with the Paracelsus- Robert Bosch Hospital in Stuttgart. Bibliothek, a library funded largely by Robert Bosch, this collection was to form As early as 1925, Robert Bosch had the basis of a museum dedicated to the founded Hippokrates Verlag, a medical history of natural medicine. Unfortunately, publishing company that would be “dedi- the second world war put a stop to these cated to no one single school of medical plans. Today, both collections are housed thought.” The aim was to promote dialogue and available to the public in the Institute between conventional and alternative for the History of Medicine in Stuttgart, medicine. However, Bosch was interested part of the Robert Bosch Stiftung.

Top left: remedies, the movement’s followers advo- The homeopathic hospital Patient in a galvanic bath, cated a more natural lifestyle, a combina- Even though he has been accused of it on c. 1940 tion of modern and “natural” agriculture, occasion, Robert Bosch was by no means Top right: and a meat-free diet, as they believed this dogmatic in his views about the causes Lab technician at the would counteract what they saw as the of illness and what constituted a healthy Robert Bosch Hospital, negative impact of the economic and social lifestyle. While he was a keen advocate c. 1940 changes of the 19th century. Like Hermann of homeopathy, he was also open to other Göhrum (1861 – 1945), the man who would methods of treatment, including conven- later become his family doctor and whom tional medicine. In his memoirs he com- he first met in 1890 at an evening organized mented: “When I say that I owe much to by followers of Gustav Jäger, Robert Bosch homeopathy, that does not mean I believe embraced these principles early on and illnesses should be treated using only much preferred to wear the clothing advo- alternative methods.” cated by this movement. Robert Bosch’s love of nature therefore clearly also owes Nonetheless, Robert Bosch’s debt of something to the ideas of the Lebensreform gratitude to homeopathy is reflected in movement. And these ideas were again in the institutions or projects to which he evidence when he became an employer, and granted his patronage. In 1915, he donated placed great importance on ensuring that a total of three million German marks to his factories had sufficient ventilation and the construction of a homeopathic hospital decent lighting conditions. near his home at the time (later the Robert View inside Richard Haehl’s private Robert Bosch in the pharmacy of the Bosch House), but the war put a stop to “Hahnemannmuseum,” 1922 Robert Bosch Hospital, 1940 the project. In 1920, with the economic 56 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 57

Liberal politics and social responsibility Robert Bosch and politics by Prof. Dr. Joachim Rogall

Robert Bosch’s liberal upbringing, his years as an apprentice, and the journeyman’s travels that took him as far afield as the U.S. all played their part in shaping the socially-minded businessman he later became. A pacifist and pan-European, he was particularly committed to reconciliation between Germany and France following the first world war. The final years of his life, when he was an opponent of National Socialism, were overshadowed by the Bosch Group’s entanglement in the Third Reich’s rearmament and warmon- gering policies. Bosch and his company directors supported resistance to the Nazi regime and helped to rescue Jewish associates and others facing persecution.

Robert Bosch’s political views were shaped politician. It was during this time that company all earned him the nickname Franco-German reconciliation Robert Bosch conversing early on by his liberal upbringing. His father Bosch, who was unconvinced by the “Bosch the red” among his peers. More than ever before, Robert Bosch criti- with Leo Hausleiter, a Munich newspaper Servatius was a staunch advocate of civil economic theories of Marx and Engels, cally examined his role as an entrepreneur editor, 1932 liberties and the rule of law. These inher- fully developed his vision of what a However, the rapid growth of his company and as a member of society, and what ited views were further consolidated during socially minded entrepreneur should be. made it more and more difficult to maintain this meant in terms of his responsibility his journeyman’s travels, particularly his the tricky balance between his economic for public welfare. As a result, not only did time in the U.S. between 1884 and 1885. Robert Bosch initially opted not to join responsibilities as a major entrepreneur his social commitment become stronger, Yet even here, in the “cradle of democracy,” the Verband Württembergischer Metall- and his social principles. “Bosch the red,” but also his political involvement. He was Robert Bosch felt a lack of what he consid- industrieller, a syndicate formed in 1907 of all people, found himself the target of a a pacifist through and through. The loss of ered “the cornerstone of justice – equality whose members were entrepreneurs from strike in 1913. In his memoirs, the company close friends and associates killed in the before the law.” the metal industry in the Württemberg founder wrote: “An entrepreneur with a war and the deep gulf the conflict had region. This conscious decision to maintain social conscience simply got in the way. opened up between Germany and France After returning to Germany and setting up a degree of distance, coupled with his The left stirred up hatred against the right, in particular prompted Bosch to become a his own business, Bosch for some time well-known socialist leanings, the above- and the right against the left. But there dedicated supporter of international rap- enjoyed a close relationship with his neigh- average wages paid to his associates, was hatred from both sides for those in the prochement. He joined the German section bor Karl Kautsky, the social democrat and the social benefits provided by his middle – and that’s exactly where I was.” of the Committee for Franco-German 58 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 59

An entrepreneur under National Socialism indispensable. In 1969, on behalf of Bosch, Robert Bosch at a The National Socialists assumed power in Hans Walz accepted the title of “Righteous meeting of French and January 1933. In September of the same Among the Nations” bestowed by the Yad German first world war veterans in Stuttgart, year, Robert Bosch was invited to attend Vashem Shrine of Remembrance in Israel in 1935 a meeting with German Chancellor Adolf recognition of these efforts to save people Hitler. However, his hopes of finding sympa- of Jewish and mixed descent. thy for his political ideas were soon dashed. Hitler merely harangued him with his own In 1937, Bosch brought Carl Goerdeler, views and, repulsed by the dictator’s ideas, the former Lord Mayor of Leipzig who Bosch returned to Stuttgart in heavy spirits: would later become the civilian leader of “This individual wants to be a statesman the resistance movement against Hitler, and doesn’t know what justice is!” into the company as an advisor. This appointment led to the formation of a In order to alleviate the pressure the new liberal-conservative resistance cell, com- regime was exerting on the company, the prising Goerdeler, the managing director director Hans Walz and two other members Hans Walz, Bosch’s private secretary Willy of the board of management became offi- Schlossstein, and other members of the cial members of the Nazi party (NSDAP). board of management. In its everyday dealings with the regime, however, Bosch ensured that objections Robert Bosch’s health had deteriorated to the National Socialists’ anti-Jewish in the period since 1937. For him, the out- policies were raised in the Reich Ministry break of war in 1939 was a catastrophe – of Economics. Moreover, Bosch took on both on a personal level and for his country. Jewish youngsters as apprentices and gave Much to the distress of his family, Robert jobs to others facing persecution under Bosch’s 80th birthday on September 23, the regime. Financial support was given 1941, and his death in March 1942 were to Jewish charities, and funds were made both pounced on by the Nazis for propa- available to allow imprisoned Jews to emi- ganda purposes. Shortly before his death, grate. Finally, people of “mixed descent” Bosch asked Theodor Heuss to write his were employed in vehicle-repair workshops biography to ensure his true views would be so they could be saved from deportation. properly documented. Bosch had selected Since this work was classified as strategi- the liberal Heuss for this task because he cally vital for armaments production and came “from a background that enables him the war effort, these workers were deemed to understand me and my nature.”

Relations and, in 1935, invited German and For his part, Count Coudenhove-Kalergi French war veterans to Stuttgart under the described Bosch as a “Pan-European for Left: slogan “Pioniere des Friedens – Pionniers de moral, rather than economic reasons, […] Friedrich Naumann (1860 – 1919), founder of the la Paix” (Pioneers of Peace). seeking not to sell his goods better in other “Deutsche Hochschule für countries, but to protect Europe from Politik” (a private university Following the end of the German monarchy, another war.” for the study of politics) Robert Bosch saw it as his task to defend whose work was supported by Robert Bosch the newly founded Weimar Republic against Robert Bosch also supported the reformist Photograph: ullsteinbild its numerous political opponents in views of the national liberal Friedrich Germany. He believed the key to this lay Naumann, particularly his German univer- Right: in promoting the general welfare of the sity for political science, which sought to Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi (left) and Robert Bosch at the people, adult education, and international bring together academics and practitioners Paneuropa Conference in understanding. Accordingly, he also backed to teach politics in an environment free Berlin, 1930 Count Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi’s vision from the influence of the state. of a pan-European confederation of states. 60 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 61

His final wishes The will of Robert Bosch

by Dieter Schmitt

It was Robert Bosch’s dearest wish that His will Far left: the company should continue to show a One year later, in 1938, Robert Bosch The former residence of Robert Bosch, which “strong and meaningful development” after drew up his will, which included guidelines now houses the Robert his death. This was not simply a matter of for his successors: “It is a matter dear to Bosch Stiftung, and maintaining and administering the status my heart that Robert Bosch GmbH should Bosch Haus Heidehof, quo, but also one of growing and actively be safeguarded in its substance [...] for as the new training and conference center for shaping the future. Since he wanted to many future generations as possible, and Bosch executives world- avoid disputes about who should succeed that it should remain at all times financially wide, 2005 him, the question of how to secure the independent, autonomous, and able to company’s long-term success was one take appropriate action.” In addition to the Below, left: A meeting of the execu- that concerned him from an early stage. long-term safeguarding of the company’s tors, 1954. Seated at His first attempt to find a solution to this future and its development potential, the the table are Robert question – the foundation of Robert Bosch will’s main concerns were that lasting ties Bosch junior and Hans AG in 1917 – proved to be unfeasible in the should be maintained with Robert Bosch’s Walz (fourth and fifth from left). long run. Accordingly, Bosch reversed his descendants, and that a proportion of the decision and, in 1937, changed the legal company’s profits be used for charitable Below, right: form of the company to that of a close and social causes. Robert Bosch, March 2, corporation (GmbH). By that time, the 1942 company had a workforce of over 18,000 The trusted few associates. For these reasons, Robert Bosch left the decision about the future of his company in the hands of his closest and most trusted confidants. When the time was right, it

In his will, Robert Bosch stipulated that the company was to be carried on after his death in a manner reflective of his wishes. The will paved the way for today’s corporate constitution. This constitution is based on the founder’s wishes that the company should secure its lasting entrepreneurial freedom, retain links to the Bosch family, and use its dividends to support charitable and social causes. 62 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 63

was to be their responsibility to find a rate constitution. They also found a way of the company founder. In addition to and to invest in the future without borrow- sustainable solution that reflected Bosch’s of giving concrete expression to his will – promoting projects in the fields of educa- ing from the capital markets. By providing own wishes. Bosch selected seven men to a distinctive solution that has stood the tion, healthcare, international relations, for a dividend to be paid to the Robert act as the executors of his will, including test of time. society, culture, and science, the founda- Bosch Stiftung, the constitution allows Hans Walz, whom this same group of men tion also owns the Robert Bosch Hospital the Stiftung to sustain its commitment to would later elect as their chairman. He In 1921, Bosch had founded Vermögens- in Stuttgart. charitable causes. had joined the company as Robert Bosch’s verwaltung Bosch GmbH (Bosch Asset private secretary in 1912, and become a Management) to administer his sharehold- Today, the Robert Bosch Stiftung holds His legacy member of the board of management in ings in the company. The long-term objec- 92 percent of the share capital of Robert In the time since Robert Bosch died, and 1924. He had later taken on overall respon- tive was that his charitable activities should Bosch GmbH. Most of the remaining shares despite the occasional external crisis, the sibility for running the company and, over be pooled there. In 1964, this organization are held by the Bosch family, while Robert company has developed – as the founder the years, become Bosch’s closest advisor acquired the majority of the capital stock Bosch GmbH holds a one percent share. would have wished – in a “strong and on business matters and social issues. The of Robert Bosch GmbH from the heirs of The Bosch family thus retains close ties meaningful” way. Preserving his legacy for designated executors knew Bosch person- the estate, transferring the voting rights with the company. As the family’s spokes- future generations is what Robert Bosch ally and were familiar with his ideas and his accruing to the capital stock to the newly person, Robert Bosch’s grandson Christof wanted. It was his heartfelt wish that all wishes. Robert Bosch also provided them formed Robert Bosch Industriebeteiligung Bosch is a member of the supervisory associates should play an active role in with detailed guidelines upon which to GmbH (Robert Bosch Industrial Equities). council of Robert Bosch GmbH, a partner giving this legacy concrete form. base their decisions. This in turn was the precursor of today’s in Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, and Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG (Robert a member of the board of trustees of the On October 27, 1941, Robert Bosch Robert Bosch died in Stuttgart in the early Bosch Industrial Trust), the body that there- Robert Bosch Stiftung. thanked his associates for their best wishes hours of March 12, 1942, and his executors fore carries out the entrepreneurial func- on the occasion of his 80th birthday. assumed the responsibility of administering tions that would normally fall to the owner. Representing the final wishes of Robert Written just a few months before his death, his estate. They protected the company as Bosch, the corporate constitution secures these words of thanks were also his parting far as possible from any attempted inter- In 1969, Vermögensverwaltung Robert the entrepreneurial freedom and financial words: “During my lifetime, I ask you to ference by the National Socialists, and Bosch changed its name to Robert Bosch independence of the Bosch Group, as well share this spirit of dedication to our com- managed to rebuild it after the devastation Stiftung GmbH (Robert Bosch Foundation), as its ability to take appropriate action. mon cause. And after I am gone, continue caused by the second world war. thus underlining the social focus of its Most of the earnings generated remain in this spirit, for the sake of each and every activities. The foundation carries on the within the company, where they are used associate, and for the sake of the company As he would have wished charitable work of Robert Bosch in con- to secure the company’s future. This allows that, as my life’s work, is so close to my The executors of Robert Bosch’s will not temporary form and uses the dividend it the company to plan over the long term heart.” only laid the foundation for today’s corpo- receives in a manner that reflects the spirit

Fritz von Graevenitz working “As a matter of principle, the executors [of my estate] are expected to on his bust of Robert Bosch, 1940 ensure that the business activities of Robert Bosch GmbH are carried Photograph: Stiftung Fritz von Graevenitz out and carried on in a manner reflective of my wishes, i. e. of my spirit and will, i. e. to secure for these activities over a long period of time not only their bare existence, but also a strong and meaningful develop- ment to help them cope with the inevitable difficulties and crises of the future. To achieve this end, no sacrifice may be considered too great.” 64 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 65

The lasting legacy of Robert Bosch by Andreas Kempf

“It’s part of the Bosch DNA.” This is how Franz Fehrenbach, the chairman of the Bosch board of management, likes to reply whenever he is asked what the secret behind the outstanding innovative strength of Bosch is. And he will generally add: “We have never stopped looking for even better solutions.” This “Bosch spirit” is frequently equated with “corporate culture,” and closer inspection reveals that much of it can be traced back to just one man – the company founder Robert Bosch.

Even many decades after his death in around 50,000 had been sold in twelve 1942, the values and way of thinking years. Robert Bosch, however, rejected embodied by Robert Bosch still permeate this idea. In his view, halting this project a company that is present on every conti- would have been an admission that they nent, and now employs more than 270,000 had failed to make a success of this idea men and women. Neither revolutionary despite more than a decade of unstinting technology, nor political upheavals, nor work. Bosch may also have had an inkling even globalization have been able to do that this technology would be a springboard lasting damage to these roots. But what for other applications. Whatever the reason, is the glue that holds Bosch – the company he was ultimately proved right. By 1922, and its founder– together? The answer the annual production of oilers had reached lies in the “Bosch DNA” – it is much more 20,000. The experience gained in using a important for the day-to-day running of pump for the precise injection of lubrication the company than people might generally oil at high pressure paved the way for the expect. development of diesel technology, which is a main pillar of the Bosch portfolio to this Success through perseverance day. This is especially apparent when we con- sider the force that has driven the company And, in the later history of the company, ever since its foundation in 1886: technol- there is a further example of how a great ogy. Robert Bosch’s own involvement in the deal of tenacity and perseverance are company teaches us that the path from an required to get new technologies off the Corporate headquarters of Robert Bosch GmbH initial idea to a successful product can be a ground. In the mid-1950s, the Bosch at the Schillerhöhe in Gerlingen, near Stuttgart long and difficult one. In 1920, for example, Group’s engineers had to decide how there were plans to discontinue the devel- electronic components could be used in opment of the oiler – a centrally located vehicles. Technologically, it was obvious lubricator for machines – because only that electronics would allow ignition, for 66 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 67

example, to be maintenance-free, as well on the one hand and the company and its Yet however heated these disputes may be, as controlled much more accurately. And management on the other plays an espe- they have always been marked by a mutual as early as 1967, the first electronically cially important role. In the most recent desire to reach a workable solution, as well controlled system, the Jetronic gasoline internal survey, four out of every five asso- as by an atmosphere of mutual respect. injection system, came onto the market. ciates said they were proud to work for But it was to take until the late 1970s Bosch. Lifelong commitment before this system and its successors – In his will, Robert Bosch mapped out the L-Jetronic and Motronic – were able to be- Even so, Bosch has always kept a tight special ownership structure that still distin- come fully established. This was because rein on its operations. For example, the guishes the company today. The role of most of Bosch’s customers in the automo- realization that shorter working hours also main shareholder is played by the industrial tive industry initially preferred to stay with mean better productivity led to the intro- trust Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG. K-Jetronic, a mechanically controlled sys- duction of the eight-hour working day in Former as well as present members of the tem. In this instance, much is owed to the 1906. Output went up, while wage costs Bosch board of management, Christof tenacity of Franz Fehrenbach’s predecessor decreased. As far as the workforce was Bosch in his role as spokesperson for the Hermann Scholl. Scholl is regarded at concerned, this marked the beginning of descendants of Robert Bosch, and industri- Bosch – and beyond – as the father not only a process of increasing productivity. alists from outside the company are mem- of the electronic gasoline injection system, bers of this trust. “We act in accordance but also of Bosch automotive electronics as The relationship between management with Robert Bosch’s express wish that the a whole. Without electronics, Bosch would and workforce has by no means always company should continue to enjoy strong never have developed areas of business been a harmonious one. Even the company and meaningful development,” says Franz such as engine management, transmission founder Robert Bosch – known as “Bosch Fehrenbach, describing the brief of those control, or driver assistance systems such the red” by fellow businessmen – was faced at the helm of the company. What is meant as the ABS antilock braking system and the with strikes, despite paying good wages is that anyone who is appointed to the most ESP electronic stability program. for shorter working hours. In subsequent senior level of management at Bosch is not decades, major industrial disputes – about simply an officeholder, but also takes on a Consensus instead of confrontation rationalization, for example, or the debate mission. This also explains why the com- Entrepreneurial decisions can only be about the 35-hour working week – caused pany has had only six CEOs, including the implemented successfully if the workforce unrest and long, heated debate at Bosch founder himself, since its establishment can accept the chosen path. At Bosch, as well. in 1886. The stable shareholder structure the relationship between the workforce safeguards the Bosch Group against poten-

Top: Left: Advertising poster by Bosch materials researcher Lucian Bernhard, 1914 at an X-ray apparatus, 1936

Right: Manufacture – in Japan – of electronic control units for Bosch Jetronic systems, 1986 68 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 69

From left to right: tial takeover bids and ensures an inde- on in the company. Bosch invests in other The living legacy reliability, a commitment to quality, and pendent, long-term business policy. But countries, but these countries are more The legacy of Robert Bosch lives on, and respect for different cultures. Not least, Robert Bosch it is not only the members of the board than just places for doing business. We this not only because the founder’s values, the Bosch vision outlined in this brochure Hans Walz of management who often stay with the also try to develop a feeling for, and thus to attitudes, and principles are still omnipres- sets out the company’s ambition to enhance company for decades. It is also the mem- understand, the culture of these countries.” ent even today. It also owes its vitality to the quality of life and to achieve a leading Hans L. Merkle bers of the workforce, many of whom Today, executives wishing to progress up the way it has been adapted to the present position on the market with solutions that

Marcus Bierich spend their entire working lives at Bosch. the career ladder at Bosch will have to age, and thus preserved in its freshness. In are both innovative and beneficial. spend a certain period working outside the late 1990s, the Bosch board of manage- Hermann Scholl International understanding and their home country. This is not only to ment subjected the company’s unwritten This brings us back to the Bosch DNA – cultural diversity promote a better understanding of markets. values to close scrutiny. How much of the quest for an even better technological Franz Fehrenbach Yet Robert Bosch’s legacy does not end The board of management also wants to Robert Bosch’s legacy was still valid? This solution for the benefit of both the com- here. He also placed his actions as a man be sure that the company’s executives are was not an uncontroversial process, since pany and society. Robert Bosch would no and as an entrepreneur in the context of receptive to other cultures and mentalities. any company that sets out its values in doubt have approved of the company’s his responsibilities to society. Throughout Accordingly, Bosch refers as a matter of writing can also be judged by those values. slogan “Invented for life.” Writing in 1932, his life, for example, he was committed to principle to “regional” rather than “foreign” he said: “[...] Advances in technology in promoting greater understanding among subsidiaries. This vision of a pluralistic Today, these values as set out in the the widest sense of the word serve to bring nations. This has had a significant influence society has not always met with undivided “House of Orientation” are the common the greatest possible benefits to mankind. on the company. Marcus Bierich, who was approval. In Nazi Germany, for example, factor uniting all associates worldwide. Technology is designed and has the capa- Bosch CEO between 1984 and 1993, it generated hostility. Yet despite the risks, Designed as a frame of reference for all bility to help the whole of mankind make summarized this nicely when he said: “This people were not willing to compromise associates, the “House of Orientation” the best of their lives and find happiness commitment to society and to culture lives these values. identifies basic principles such as legality, in life.” 70 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History Robert Bosch | 71

Timeline

1861 Robert Bosch is born on September 23, in Albeck near Ulm

1876–79 Trains as a precision mechanic in Ulm

1 8 8 3 – 8 4 Attends Stuttgart Polytechnic as a non-registered student

1884 Spends one year working at various companies in the U.S., including the Edison Machine Works

1885 Spends several months working for Siemens Brothers in the U.K.

1886 Robert Bosch opens his “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering” in Stuttgart on November 15

1887 Marries Anna Kayser (1864 –1949)

1888 Birth of daughter Margarete (died 1971)

1889 Birth of daughter Paula (died 1974)

1891 Birth of first son Robert (died 1921)

1893 Birth of daughter Erna Elisabeth (died 1894)

1897 Robert Bosch fits a magneto ignition device in an automobile for the first time

1901 Robert Bosch and 45 associates move into the company’s first factory in Stuttgart

1910 Construction of the Robert Bosch Haus on Heidehofstrasse

1917 Robert Bosch changes his company to an AG (stock corporation)

1927 Marries Margarete Wörz (1888 –1979)

1928 Birth of second son Robert (died 2004) Robert Bosch in Pfronten 1940/41 1931 Birth of daughter Eva

1937 Robert Bosch AG becomes a GmbH (close corporation)

1940 Official opening of the Robert Bosch Hospital

1942 Robert Bosch dies on March 12