Phang (left) signsa commemorative plaque while Bosch Southeast Asia president Martin Hayes and Song watch on.
KUCHING: Global supplier of technology and services, Bosch, opened its newest office in Johor yesterday which further cements the group’s commitment and overall investment to the country.
Bosch continues to pursue further business opportunities in the country. Commenting on this, Simon Song, managing director of Bosch Malaysia, said, “Johor’s economic vibrancy continues to be a big attraction.
“From its rapidly developing projects such as Iskandar Malaysia to the steady stream of both foreign and local investments, we recognize the state’s potential.
“Hence, we are eager to seize these opportunities, starting with our latest office in Johor.”
The guest of honor for the opening ceremony of Bosch new office in Johor, Datuk Phang Ah Tong, deputy chief executive officer of Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), said in his speech that the opening of Bosch’s sales office in Johor is very timely in capturing the growing market opportunities in this region, especially with the realization of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) which will increase market accessibility across its member countries.
“We certainly welcome more of such expansion by companies like Bosch, which has been with us in Malaysia for close to a century. This reflects the continued confidence of investors in doing business in Malaysia.
“The success of Bosch’s operations in Malaysia has led to the continual expansion and diversification, resulting in an increase in production capacity since it first opened. This augurs well as it brings a positive impact to the country,” Phang added.
The new office, located in Johor Bahru, aims to provide a one-stop solution with a diverse portfolio of Bosch products to offer.
Apart from being a sales center, the new office is installed with a unique “Experience Bosch” showroom that showcases the range of products and solutions tailored for the company’s customer base in the state.
The premise will also be utilised to conduct trainings for customers and host events such as product launches.
At present, the office will focus mainly on the company’s Automotive Aftermarket, Power Tools, Security Systems, and Bosch Home Appliances business divisions.
While this new office signals the company’s first official foray into the Johor market, Bosch has already been involved with several projects in Iskandar.
“Bosch is keen to explore more investment opportunities in the Iskandar region and the state as a whole,” said Song.
He added that to date, Bosch has invested RM260 million into the country in the past three years.
“The new Johor office demonstrates the important role Malaysia plays for Bosch within the Asean region, and reflects Bosch’s commitment to develop and grow with the local market.”
Phang further added that as Malaysia continues to develop its infrastructure, productivity, and innovation capabilities in every state, they are proud that Bosch has recognized Johor to be a strategic location to meet its burgeoning regional demands.
“This is also a sign of Bosch’s long term commitment to Malaysia as its operation base to serve the region.
“We are also truly delighted that Malaysia continues to be a profitable center for Bosch,” he said.
Johor remains one of the country’s top investment destinations particularly for the manufacturing sector. Domestic and foreign investments in the first six months of this year totaled RM 27 billion.
Johor State Investment Centre continues to adopt proactive measures in its effort to transform the state into a key investment hub.
MIDA, together with other agencies such as the Iskandar Regional Development Authority, Iskandar Investment, and Nusajaya Malaysia, continues to work towards strengthening Johor’s position as a premier investment center.