The founder of the famous industrial giant Bosch once started out in a humble workshop employing only two people. Today Bosch is one of the leading companies in the world market with a 130-year positive reputation, which owes everything to its inventor and entrepreneur Robert Bosch.
The early years and adolescence of Robert Bosch
The famous founder of the world company Bosch was born near Ulm, in the southwestern part of Germany. The family in which Robert grew up was very large. Together with him, 11 more brothers and sisters grew up. Robert's parents, wealthy well-to-do peasants, had their own farm and were successfully engaged in the hotel business.
The boy graduated from high school in Ulm and then studied plumbing skills. Robert Bosch entered the Technical University of Stuttgart, where he took a six-month course in electrical engineering. After that, he went abroad, where in the UK he got a job at Siemens Brothers. The future industrialist also gained experience in the United States. He worked in the laboratories of the world inventor Thomas Edison. Later, Robert Bosch wanted to use all the knowledge he had gained. He returns to his native Germany and becomes self-employed.
It's better to lose money than trust
In 1886, at the age of 25, he opened his own "Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering" in Stuttgart with a small staff - only two people. Robert Bosch went to his clients on a bicycle, which was a great rarity at the time, given that the first bicycle was invented only in 1884.
At first, the affairs of the young entrepreneur went with varying success, and only after 10 years the industrial business finally began to flourish steadily.
In addition to his main commercial area - engineering technology in the automotive industry, Bosch also offered other services: repair and installation of telephones, telegraphs and electric calls. Robert also developed a magneto ignition device for a stationary gas engine. For the first time, unusual products went on sale - typewriters for blind people. It was possible to remotely control the water level with the help of another Bosch development - a special mechanical device.
The founder of the company decided to enter the international market, and in 1898 Robert Bosch created the first company outside Germany - in London. Soon, Bosch products appeared in many other European countries.
In 1901, Robert Bosch decided to establish a full-fledged factory. The products were in great demand, and soon the plant had to be expanded at the expense of nearby buildings.
In 1903, the first international auto races took place in Ireland. It was a great opportunity for inventors around the world to show off their innovations in engineering. That year, Kamil Zhenatzi won in difficult weather conditions, the first to come to the finish line in a Mercedes, which was powered by a modernized magneto ignition device developed by Bosch. The victory further strengthened Bosch's reputation in the global marketplace.
Bosch's developments include not only an electric starter, but also an ignition distribution system, as well as a car radio.
In 1917, the company officially became a corporation. In the 1920s, networks of repair shops and car services appeared throughout Germany. Having survived the economic crisis of those years, the company expanded the list of its products, supplementing it with the production of cameras, power tools, televisions, refrigerators and radios.
Robert Bosch is not only a commercially successful entrepreneur, but also a "social pioneer". He respected all workers in the Bosch factories, so he was the first to introduce the 8-hour workday for his employees in 1906. Robert Bosch also supervised production processes and the quality of products, believing that it is better to lose money than customer confidence.
Part of the proceeds from commercial activities, Robert Bosch sent to charity, donating money to technical education and hospitals in the country.
Robert Bosch and Hitler
By 1933, Bosch was already world famous on all continents of the planet. The products of the German entrepreneur were used all over the world. But, with the rise to power of the Nazis in Germany, Robert Bosch had to choose between the future of the company and personal preferences.
Robert Bosch did not support Hitler's policy, moreover, he sponsored the anti-fascist resistance. But he understood that by refusing to cooperate with Hitler, the political leader would take away the factories from Robert Bosch, and they would pass into state ownership. Robert agrees to equip the military equipment and aircraft of the Hitlerite army with the most modern and best engineering developments. However, he personally avoided business meetings with representatives of the Nazi party.
In gratitude for the assistance, Bosch was equipped with free labor in the person of prisoners of war, offered lucrative government orders and presented Robert Bosch with an award in honor of his 80th birthday.
Personal life of Robert Bosch
The famous industrialist has been married twice. The first marriage was with Anna Kaiser, with whom he was in love. Robert sent her letters while in the United States and England, sharing all the events that happened to him. On October 10, 1887, the couple got married near Stuttgart. From this marriage, two daughters were born - Margaret (1888) and Paula (1889), as well as a son, Robert (1891). Another daughter, Elizabeth, passed away a year after birth.
In 1911, Robert Bosch built a large mansion for his family in Stuttgart. As Margaret, the daughter of the inventor, recalled, the father always devoted enough time to spend time with his family, answering many children's questions and inspiring them for self-development. Bosch decided early on to introduce his son into his business. At the age of 11, little Robert was already working as an apprentice in his father's company. Unfortunately, the inventor's son began to develop multiple sclerosis, from which he died in 1921.
The death of his son alienated the spouses. The couple broke up in 1927. In the same year, Robert Bosch married 39-year-old Margaret Wertz, the daughter of a forester. From his second marriage, he had two more children - son Robert Jr. (1928) and daughter Eva (1931).
After Hitler's political party came to power, Robert Bosch largely retired from running the company, and devoted all his free time to his family, skiing in the mountains.
Among Robert Bosch's favorite pastimes was hunting. He also drained the marshes in Bavaria, where he set up an organic farm selling organic produce.
In many ways, Robert's wife, Margaret, provided support for him. She acted as an assistant and advisor in many issues between two generations - young and older. Margaret was a hospitable hostess, hosting a few friends and business people at home.
Robert Bosch died on March 12, 1942 from complications of otitis media.
