German-based Bosch Group on Wednesday opened a software and engineering center in Vietnam, making it the first in Southeast Asia and the third in the world after two in India. The newly established Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions Vietnam Company Limited (RBVH) at E-Town 2 building offers hi-tech software and engineering solutions such as embedded software and mechanical design, as well as IT and IT enabled services.

The newly established Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions Vietnam Company Limited (RBVH) at E-Town 2 building offers hi-tech software and engineering solutions such as embedded software and mechanical design, as well as IT and IT enabled services.

This marks another milestone of Bosch’s continued investment in Vietnam, said Vo Quang Hue, managing director of Robert Bosch Vietnam Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of Bosch Group.

As an expansion of the operations of Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions Limited (RBEI) in India, the new center employs some 60 engineers and targets to hire some 500 engineers by 2015.

With an initial investment of US$4.5 million, Bosch plans to continue its investment into RBVH in the coming years. Further investment will be channeled into infrastructure development, and the recruitment and training of new local talent, according to the company.

“With its proximity to automotive original equipment manufacturers in Japan, Korea and China, the new center is poised to be our software and engineering development hub for the region. It will also contribute to Vietnam’s plans to develop further as a software hub,” said Sudhakar Kunte, managing director of RBVH.

With the opening of the new center, Bosch is keen to employ and develop local talent for specialized know-how.

Sudhakar Kunte said, “We will partner with Vietnam’s best engineering talent to develop RBVH into a Research and Development center for the region. Our engineers will provide solutions for global requirements.”

RBVH will work alongside universities to develop world-class talent at the university level. It has already started cooperation with the City University of Technology and the Vietnamese German University, said Sudhakar Kunte, adding, “We consider these collaborations critical to ensure that engineers have an easy transition to the industry workplace.” It targets to extend this cooperation with other universities. Bosch Vietnam also supports vocational education through scholarship awards, such as partnering with the Saigon Times Foundation to provide scholarship grants to financially-challenged students.

RBVH engineers will work with the world’s best engineering pool at Bosch and develop products with cutting-edge technology. Current projects include software development for Diesel and Gasoline Electronic Control Unit systems, braking systems and SAP projects.

Vijay Ratnaparkhe, managing director of RBEI and chairman of RBVH, said in a statement: “RBVH compliments our existing technology investments. It will improve our ability to support customers in the region. It will also help us accelerate innovation, as well as research and development”.