Bosch to sell Japanese CV powertrain business to Knorr-Bremse

Munich-based braking systems manufacturer, Knorr-Bremse is set to take over the on-highway commercial vehicle transmission components business from Bosch Corporation in Japan, including the transfer of roughly 120 employees.

The acquisition will enable Knorr-Bremse to develop and manufacture gear shift units and clutch actuators as well as transmission control units for trucks and buses locally for the Asian market, thereby reinforcing its position in the AMT and DCT transmission sector. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The acquisition is subject to approval by the anti-trust authorities.

Explaining the acquisition, Dr Peter Laier, member of the executive board, Knorr-Bremse AG, responsible for the Commercial Vehicle Systems Division said, "For Knorr-Bremse, this acquisition represents an important step in expanding our presence in the fast-growing Asian market for automated manual transmissions (AMT) as well as dual clutch transmissions (DCT) and will enable us to meet the needs of our customers in this region even more comprehensively."

"The Japanese aspiration to build high quality products aligns with our corporate philosophy. The CVS transmission product range makes the perfect complement for the portfolio of Knorr-Bremse as a major player in this segment. As a result, we will be able to leverage synergies fast and join forces to achieve the sharp increase of the AMT market share that we are targeting in the region and in China in particular. With this in mind, we are planning an even closer engineering collaboration between our subsidiaries in Japan and China as well as with the European R&D team. Going forward we are putting our trust in our new colleagues' in-depth knowledge of their customers and markets, as well as in their long-standing technical expertise," added Laier.

Thanks to the transmission control unit's specially adapted driving programs, AMT and DCT systems lead to enhanced driving comfort, reduced fuel consumption and lower emissions. Using an optimised shifting strategy which the system automatically adapts to the current situation on the road, automated manual transmissions lead to substantial fuel savings compared to conventional manual gearboxes, as well as reducing wear on components such as the clutch.

Knorr-Bremse, which operates in 30 countries and employs around 25,000 people, saw sales of 6 billion euros in 2015.