German conglomerate Bosch to launch second IoT cloud platform here

GERMAN conglomerate Bosch will be launching its second cloud platform for the Internet of Things (IoT) in Singapore in the later half of this year.

The engineering and electronics company will also embark on its first building monitoring project here, which utilises sensors that will help optimise the operating conditions of lifts and washrooms.

These moves are Bosch's latest efforts to establish itself as a major player in the growing IoT sector, as it continues to transform itself from a traditional manufacturing company to one that also provides technological solutions, as it faces challenging business conditions in the region.

Bosch detailed these efforts in a release issued here on Tuesday.

Bosch's cloud platform here will enable the company and its partners to offer platform-as-a-service and software-as-a-service IoT services. The company's software division's development centre here will also come up with commercial products and solutions.

Bosch will also kick-start its first smart building monitoring project here this year. Sensors installed in lifts will capture data that will be analysed by Bosch's IoT software to help building managers conduct more efficient scheduling of lift maintenance before a breakdown occurs.

There will be a similar project that involves sensors in washrooms that will enable better deployment of cleaners, said Bosch.

The group closed fiscal year 2015 with a 16.1 per cent increase in consolidated sales in South-east Asia to reach 780 million euros (S$1.2 billion).

But in Singapore, this was at 147 million euros, a dip from FY2014's 154 million euros.

Singapore is Bosch's headquarters for South-east Asia and many of its business operations in the Asia-Pacific region.

"Against a challenging business environment in South-east Asia, many of our business divisions have performed well, particularly in promising markets such as Vietnam and the Philippines . . . To succeed in a dynamic and fast-changing landscape, we must be agile and adapt to new ways of seizing opportunities. This includes developing new business models, strengthening our collaboration with partners and like-minded innovators, and widening the online portfolio of our consumer-centric products," said Martin Hayes, president of Bosch in South-east Asia.