LIVE FROM HUAWEI GLOBAL MOBILE BROADBAND FORUM 2015, HONG KONG: Bosch, a maker of everything from auto parts and household appliances to security systems, has quietly connected much of its product line and is benefiting directly from the rise in mobile connectivity, particularly in the connected car sector.

Bosch president of Greater China Chen Yudong (pictured), speaking at the event yesterday afternoon, told the audience that mobility services are now a key business focus.

Automotive connectivity is one of three key mega trends it sees, he said. The other two are electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles. “Mobile connectivity is a key enabler for all three of these trends.”

The company, which is better known to consumers for its white goods and power tools, has developed connected solutions for the automotive, energy, manufacturing and buildings sectors. Some 70 per cent of its business is generated by automotive related products.

Its turnover in China alone was CNY80 billion ($12.6 billion) last year and it has 53,000 employees in the mainland.

In its push to improve the environment, the Chinese government recently set an annual production target of five million e-cars by 2020. That’s welcome news for Bosch as it’s the largest supplier of key components and technology in this area.

Chen said that self-driving cars will make roads much safer as they have the potential to eliminate almost all road accidents. He said 98 per cent of car accidents are caused by human error. “The introduction of automated control of vehicles will greatly reduce the number of fatalities.”

While the world is a long way from autonomous vehicles, he said Bosch is working on a range of services that improves safety and convenience. It has launched a traffic jam assistant in China, is testing a remote parking assistant and plans to release an automated valet parking assistant by 2018.

Bosch is a major manufacturer of parking sensors. “This is an exciting product with huge potential,” Chen said.

It also has introduced an Internet of Things (IoT) suite for third parties across many of the segments it serves.