Bosch, DEUTZ, Eberspaecher set up joint venture for diesel exhaust aftertreatment

Robert Bosch GmbH, DEUTZ AG and Eberspaecher GmbH & Co. KG have signed an agreement to set up a joint venture in the area of diesel exhaust aftertreatment.

Known as the “Bosch Emission Systems GmbH & Co. KG” and to be headquartered in Stuttgart, the agreement is still subject to the approval of the antitrust authorities, according to a news release.

The objective of the joint venture is to use the core exhaust aftertreatment competencies of the three companies involved and, on the basis of a modular principle, to offer complete system solutions for construction and agricultural machinery, as well as for commercial vehicles.

These systems include electronic control and, if required, also optimized burner technology for the regeneration of diesel particulate filters. The new company is to start operations in January 2010.

Series production will likely start in the third quarter of the year. “We want to establish Bosch emission systems in the global market as a technologically leading supplier of complete diesel exhaust aftertreatment systems. As significantly stricter limits will apply to non-road and on-road vehicles in the future in Europe, North America, and Japan, demand for exhaust aftertreatment systems will increase strongly. This also applies to mobile machinery and commercial vehicles imported from the BRIC countries,” says Dr. Gerhard Turner, president of the Bosch Diesel Systems division.

The target group is manufacturers of engines and machinery worldwide, inclouding commercial vehicles like trucks and buses.

Technologically, the concept is based on a modular principle. Drawing on a large pool of standard components, an exhaust aftertreatment system can be customized to suit any vehicle or machine.

“As an engine manufacturer, we have made a name for ourselves with customized solutions," says Gino
Mario Biondi, management board member of DEUTZ AG responsible for technology. "We can now contribute this application know-how to the joint venture. In this way, we are investing not only in our own products, but also in the rapidly growing market for exhaust aftertreatment systems."

"With this modular portfolio, Bosch Emission Systems fills a serious gap in the market,” says Dr. Thomas Wünsche, CEO of Eberspaecher Exhaust Technology. “It will provide effective solutions wherever the expense of an individually engineered solution of the kind seen in large-scale series production for on-road vehicles is too high.”

For more information, visit www.eberspaecher.com.