Bosch is investing $A164.7 million (100 million euros) in the production of heat pumps at its Aveiro facility in Portugal.
The company plans to build new laboratories, two production buildings, and additional heat-pump production lines.
In total Bosch will invest $A1.6 billion (one billion euros) in expanding this network by the end of the decade.
Bosch CEO, Stefan Hartung, said it is a long term strategy for its Home Comfort division.
The Bosch Home Comfort Group relies on a diversified portfolio to achieve climate targets in the building sector. Heat pumps and heat-pump hybrids are an essential element in decarbonizing the more than 200 million buildings located in Europe alone.
“Our engineers, researchers, and developers work hand in hand within our manufacturing network to develop state-of-the-art heat pumps,” Hartung said.
“With the high level of investment and further expansion coming to Aveiro, we’re driving the electrification of buildings and combining home comfort with green technology.”
In addition, the Aveiro plant will manufacture the outdoor units and wall-mounted indoor units for the next-generation, particularly quiet Compress 5800i AW and Compress 6800i AW heat pumps, which use the eco-friendly refrigerant propane. Experience gained in producing wall-mounted water heaters can feed into this.
The next-generation Compress 5800i AW and Compress 6800i AW heat pumps were developed in a user-experience approach together with specialists from the heating trade. The development focus was on design, functionality, and sound optimization.
"Thanks to their horizontal format, the heat pumps can be placed in various positions, meaning, for example, that they integrate into the visuals of a yard or garden in an appealing way. All these characteristics play a crucial role in a customer’s decision to make a purchase,” Tino Hirsch, head of sales at Bosch Home Comfort in Germany, explained.