Bosch
Product Rating 
Bosch caters to the areas of consumer goods and building technology with its power tool, thermotechnology, and security systems, as well as with its household appliances business within the BSH Bosch and Siemens Hausgerate GmbH joint venture. In the US, power tools are provided by the Robert Bosch Tool Corporation based in Mt. Prospect, Illinois.
With its brands Bosch, Hawera, Skil, Dremel, RotoZip, Freud, Vermont American, and many more, Bosch is one of the largest manufacturer of portable power tools worldwide. Bosch manufactures power tools for the building trade, industry, and do-it-yourselfers (DIY-ers). In or around 1956, Dr. Hans Erich Slany worked with Bosch to design one of the first plastic power tools. Prior to this time, power tools were metal castings that often conducted electrical sparks or current into the user as well as being very heavy. Today, possibly contributing to the sales success of Bosch, the power tools designed by TEAMS Design have been winning awards worldwide for many years. Most recently, the 12" Dual-Bevel Glide Miter Saw won an EID Silver Award. The product range also includes accessories such as drill bits and saw blades, under its Vermont American brand, as well as gardening and water gardening products under its Gilmour, LR Nelson, and Sunterra brands.
Bosch is the largest European manufacturer of thermotechnology (heating units, etc.) with its subsidiary BBT Thermotechnik GmbH. It had revenues of €2.8 billion in 2006. Its brands include Bosch, Buderus, Junkers, Dakon, e.l.m leblanc S.A., Florida Heat Pump (FHP), Geminox, IVT, Nefit, Sieger, Vulcano and Worcester.
BSH Bosch and Siemens Hausgerate GmbH, in which Bosch and Siemens AG each hold a 50% share, is one of the world's top three companies in the household appliances industry. In Germany and Western Europe, BSH is the market leader. Its portfolio includes the principal brand names Bosch and Siemens, Gaggenau, Neff, Thermador, Constructa, Viva, and ufesa brands, and further six regional brands. Bosch household appliances for the North American market are mainly manufactured at its factory near New Bern, NC. Its competitors include Viking Range, Fulgor, Sub-Zero Refrigerator, Wolf Appliance (a division of Sub-Zero Refrigerator), Fagor, Dacor, and Miele.
