Connected Car Shakeout – Bosch Sells Packaging Business

Connected cars and autonomous vehicles are an expensive bet with considerable shareholder risk. Auto companies and suppliers continue to seek capital and share risk.

Bosch plans to sell its packaging machinery business, based in Waiblingen, to a newly incorporated entity managed by CVC Capital Partners (CVC). The company and its Pharma and Food units will supposedly remain intact. All 6,100 workers in 15 countries will remain with the business.

This is the latest development in the restructuring of traditional automotive suppliers to concentrate on connected and autonomous vehicles. Bosch announced a year ago that it was looking for a buyer for its packaging technology business.

Bosch is giving increasing attention to mobility and connectivity over the internet of things. It is focusing its existing resources on areas of future importance, such as shaping the transformation process and preparing for further digitization.

Based in Luxemburg, CVC is a leading private equity and investment advisory firm with 24 offices in Europe, Asia, and the United States. It currently manages more than US$75 billion of assets.

The parties signed an agreement on July 11, 2019 effecting the transfer of the entire packaging technology business and its 6,100 associates in 15 countries. The purchase price and other details of the purchase agreement were not disclosed. Completion of the sale is subject to the approval of various bodies, including antitrust authorities, and is expected to close at the turn of the year.

“Bosch Packaging Technology is a strong company in an attractive market with long-term growth prospects” said Dr. Alexander Dibelius, Managing Partner of CVC. “Packaging Technology has an excellent reputation for quality and innovation, a broad product range, a global footprint, and experienced associates. Together with the management team, we will work to take the business forward in the years ahead, and to make it even more competitive.”

Dr. Stefan Hartung, member of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH and chairman of the supervisory board Robert Bosch Packaging Technology GmbH, said: “With its experience in growing companies over the long term, its broad industrial expertise, and its viable strategy for taking the division forward, CVC was the right choice for us.”