Installation of new press at Bosch Transmission Technology

Bosch Transmission Technology B.V. in Tilburg and Koninklijke Saan go back at least 20 years. That’s one great reason to highlight this long-standing collaboration. Another reason is the recent installation of a new press with a pressing force of 1,900 tons. This press is used for the production of bipolar plates, which are related to fuel cell manufacturing and Bosch’s new business focus: electrification. We spoke about this with John van den Bosch, General Facility Engineer and the person responsible for this project within Bosch.

Bosch Transmission Technology built its reputation with the production of pushbelts, first developed in 1972. In the mid-1980s, the company transitioned from a development organization into a manufacturing company, after which the first belt types went into mass production. At its peak, between 6.5 and 7 million belts were produced annually, divided between the facilities in Tilburg and Vietnam.
With the rise of electric vehicles, demand for pushbelts is declining, leading Bosch Tilburg to focus on a new direction. For this new focus, a press was required to produce bipolar plates. The press weighs a total of 300 tons, with the heaviest part weighing 109 tons. Due to its size and weight, the project was both a challenging and rewarding task for Bosch employees as well as the project leader and the industrial relocation specialists of Saan.
The entire project at Bosch was coordinated by John van den Bosch. John is General Facility Engineer within the FCM (Facility Management) department and is responsible, among other things, for the transport and installation of production machinery. “I have been with Bosch since 1986 and joined the FCM department in 2005. From the moment I started working at FCM, I have been in contact with Saan,” John explains.

Exciting and demanding jobs

“All these years, the collaboration has always been enjoyable,” says John. He mentions that he even organized a barbecue for the Saan team. “I’ve always been very open, easy to get along with, and they appreciated that. Even though I knew what I was talking about, I respected the team and let them do their job. They are the specialists.”
Over the years, Saan has carried out many transports into and out of Bosch Tilburg. John explains: “This large press was a challenge, but there have been other exciting projects in the past as well. For example, hoisting ovens measuring 2.5 by 20 meters and weighing 25 tons onto a platform. Those were really great projects.”
During large-scale projects like these, unforeseen circumstances sometimes occur, which occasionally led to issues. John emphasizes that Saan always resolved them well: “Over the years, quite a few challenging jobs have been done. Where work is done, mistakes can happen—it’s about how you deal with them together. After damage to a machine once, I asked a colleague from Saan to bring apple turnovers, which he did. Later, when there was slightly more serious damage, I told him apple turnovers wouldn’t be enough. He ended up bringing chocolate pastries for the entire department. And that really sums up the relationship I have with Saan.”

Recovered the delay

After several tender processes where Saan wasn’t selected, this year the choice did fall on Saan, and our machine crew was once again called into action at Bosch Tilburg. The project was immediately a substantial one, involving two lifting gantries and presenting quite a few challenges.
When asked whether he had any suggestions for improvement, John replied: “No, not really—it all went very smoothly. The only thing that caused a bit of trouble was the transport, which led to some delays. Your team handled it well. The project manager responded quickly and took action, which was great. In terms of timing, it was ultimately caught up, thanks to the dedication of the guys on site. Their willingness to stay a bit longer when things ran over was appreciated. They managed to make up for two days of delay, which is very positive, of course.”
He added that there’s mutual respect and knowledge sharing: “The guys are open to questions and feedback, there’s mutual understanding and good collaboration. And we as the client also have respect for you as specialists doing the work.”
He would definitely recommend Saan to other companies: “You’re simply very capable when it comes to machine transport. I’ve known you for over 20 years, so there’s no need to debate that.”

Curious about how this specific project unfolded? Then check out the timelapse created by Bosch right here.