On May 19, in the presence of Christian Wulff, the German Federal President, and Winfried Kretschmann, the Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg, Bosch celebrated its 125th anniversary and the 150th anniversary of its founder Robert Bosch.
The anniversary gala was attended by 2,000 international guests from the worlds of business, politics, and the media. Second to address the audience after Federal President Christian Wulff was Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann.
He said: “Like barely any other company in the state, Bosch stands for the innovative strength of Baden-Württemberg. Today, we are celebrating the anniversary of a company that is oriented explicitly to the long term. A company that has always seen itself in a social context.”
Sustainable business activity – just as Robert Bosch would have wished it – would, he said, be the key to Baden-Württemberg’s success in the future as well.
Kretschmann said: “To achieve this, we will base our policies on dialog-oriented, fair cooperation with business, on sensible incentives, and on reliable framework conditions true to the idea of an ‘ecological regulatory policy’.”
In remembrance of the company founder, Professor Dr. Hermann Scholl, the chairman of the shareholders meeting and of the supervisory council of Robert Bosch GmbH, spoke about Robert Bosch's responsible and extraordinarily successful management of the company, and his outstanding talent for innovation.
“Robert Bosch was an independent spirit with a fine nose for technologies and business areas with a future.
Alfred Löckle, the chairman of the central works council of Robert Bosch GmbH, said: “The Bosch Group’s success is based on the commitment of entire generations of associates.” On such a day, he said, this commitment should not go unmentioned.
Playing to the 2,000 guests who had come from around the world to the gala, an ensemble of music groups made up of Bosch associates presented the story “125 years of Bosch: world of innovation.”.
As a farewell gift, the gala guests received the “Illustrated Company History,” a richly illustrated book about the company’s 125-year history, as well as the life and work of its founder Robert Bosch. They were also given a CD featuring the music played in the gala production.