Bosch upbeat about connected mobility, industrial IoT in region

In an exclusive interview with top executives of Bosch Group, the German tech giant, The Nation has learned that connected mobility, smart homes and the industrial Internet of Things (IoT) appear to be turning into reality for local consumers and industries. 
“By 2025, we estimate that about 25 per cent of newly released motorbikes will be equipped with connected solutions globally,” Geoff Liersch, senior vice president for Bosch’s two-wheeler and powersports business unit, told the newspaper.
Bosch is working with a number of leading car and motorcycle manufacturers in Southeast Asia as an original-equipment manufacturer (OEM), he said. 
The company has witnessed a huge opportunity as an OEM supplier in countries like Thailand and Indonesia due to the high penetration of smart-phone and mobile Internet users, for Bosch to provide its connected solution for motorcycle-makers, he added. 
It has developed a “lean connectivity unit”, which connects a smart phone to a small motorcycle via Bluetooth, basically enabling users to lock and unlock their bike via an application on their phone. Another feature, for safety reasons, allows riders to receive a call while riding without having to pick up the phone. 
“With this cutting-edge connectivity, when there is an incoming call, a motorcycle rider will be able to push an answer button, while the mobile phone is left in their pocket. And the user can have a conversation through a Bluetooth headset via the motorcycle system,” he explained.
Additionally, in situations in which the rider feels unsafe, the handlebar remote control can be used to make an emergency call. 
In this scenario, a previously determined emergency-contact person is alerted via a text message, while information on the vehicle’s position is transmitted at regular intervals.
The executive said this might be useful for Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Indonesia, where motorbikes are still extremely popular and there is increasing smart-phone penetration. 
Apart from connected mobility, Werner Struth, a member of the board of management of Robert Bosch, said the company was also active in other fields in Southeast Asia. 
“We are active in Singapore, Thailand and other Southeast Asian markets, as well. For example, we are offering our products in the areas of connected industries and smart cities,” he said. “From Bosch’s perspective, we do not think we must have standardised products that are used all over the world in the same manner, because it is essential to cater to the specific needs of each region when providing products and services,” he said, adding that this seemed to be the group’s main challenge. 
Struth acknowledged that his company was still at the starting gate in terms of connected mobility and consumer goods, and connected building and energy in the region.
The industrial Internet of Things appears to have high potential in Thailand, particularly now that the government has initiated the “Thailand 4.0” strategy, another senior executive said. 
Joseph Hong, managing director of Bosch in Thailand, said his company had been positioning itself as a leader in innovative products and solutions in the IoT space, and its global strategy “aligned very well with the Thailand 4.0 strategy”. 
“We are in the initial stages of IoT development here in Thailand. The first step would be to identify key local market needs that could be addressed with locally adapted products/solutions from Bosch,” he said.
As a member of the German-Thai Chamber of Commerce and other business chambers, the company is jointly taking part in efforts to drive industry towards Thailand 4.0, such as making a presentation at the “Industry 4.0” symposium arranged by the German chamber to promote the sector and introducing Bosch’s Industry 4.0 solutions at exhibitions, the MD added.