Bosch India’s first team to function as a start-up had the opportunity to present their local innovation- eye care device from Bosch- to the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi while they visited Bosch facilities in the city on Oct 6.
Referred to as the New Business Team, the target was to develop world class solutions that would cater to the middle and bottom of the pyramid segments. Established in 2011 and headquartered out of Bengaluru the team aims to develop new products but also build new business lines for Bosch in India.
“The independence along with the agility and flexibility of a start-up team has opened up new business avenues for Bosch, and an example of that would be the eye-care device,” said Harsha Angeri, Head of Bosch India Strategy and New Businesses. “As an organization, Bosch could add higher value to some already acknowledged business set-ups, such as the Aravind Eyecare System. Our partnership with Aravind Eyecare System is a prime example of the impact Bosch can create while still maintaining its commercial mindset.”
Strongly driven by the philosophy that India deserves more than cheap, quick-fix solutions, the new business team at Bosch is working towards the development and integration of smart solutions that already exist within the company’s various business domains. To that end, adopting an agile approach, like a start-up, without reinventing the wheel.
The areas of focus for the new business team are not the traditional businesses of Bosch. As a new entrant, so to speak, the team from Bosch is focusing on identifying ways in which the company could disrupt incumbents. Bosch has been successful to a great extent as it has found a path to offer world class products, with respect to technology and high quality, by offering it at a price that is both affordable and competitive. A simple example of disruption being put to work was how the team leveraged an image processing technology, fundamentally used in a manufacturing line to detect cracks on automotive components, was used on the eye-care device to help detect disease in the Ophthalmology space.
“By adopting a solution approach we have been able to provide world class solutions, but also deliver products at an affordable price and reduce time to market. The solutions approach to disruption has enabled us to get a head start.”
Start up, Stand-up India policy
The policy announced in August by the central government of India, to stimulate the spirit of entrepreneurship among the youth of India, would complement the two other key polices announced by the government- Make in India and Skill India. “We believe that the Start-up, Stand-up India policy will boost the start-up wave across the country and secure the aspiration to be seen as an innovation hub and further improve the position of the country in the global technology value chain,” said Harsha.
Previously, policies such as Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principle of Securities (STRIPs) have given a fillip to the export and IT industry, such policies could also be extended to start-ups within corporates. “This will benefit the industry, with respect to innovation in technology and business models, without having to be bound by the policies governing the establishment it belongs to,” remarked Harsha.
Local innovation: Bosch eye-care
