Worcester Bosch Group
Encyclopedia
Worcester, Bosch Group is a United Kingdom
based domestic heating and hot water products manufacturer.
The company was founded in 1962 by Cecil Duckworth as Worcester Engineering Co Ltd in Worcester
, England
. After changing its name to Worcester Heat Systems Ltd, in 1992 the company was acquired by Robert Bosch GmbH
, adopting the new name of Worcester, Bosch Group.
The headquarters is based in Warndon
. The company employs more than 2,000 people across the headquarters and manufacturing plants in Worcester and Clay Cross, Derbyshire
, including a network of over 300 service engineers and over 80 technically trained field sales managers.
Continued growth was followed by the acquisition by Robert Bosch GmbH in 1992, with the company changing its name to ‘Worcester, Bosch Group’. As part of Bosch’s thermotechnology subsidiary, Worcester is a brand of Bosch Thermotechnology Ltd, the collective name that refers to Worcester, Bosch Group and Buderus (acquired by Bosch in 2003).
Whilst Worcester’s origins lie in oil and gas boilers, recent years have seen the company champion renewable technologies such as solar water heating, ground source and air source heat pumps. The company runs schemes such as the Environment 2020 awards to reward and promote energy efficiency and reinforce their commitment to being an “environmentally responsible manufacturer”.
Worcester has been awarded the Royal Warrant by Her Majesty the Queen
for supplying hot water products to the Royal Family.
Worcester Bosch Group were a founding sponsor of the Upton Blues Festival
, but in 2009 reluctantly pulled out.
Worcester have recently teamed up with the Scout Association to sponsor their cub scout Global Challenge badge which helps children to understand the complexities of energy conservation throughout the world.
Worcester’s gas, oil and LPG ranges consist of high efficiency regular boilers, combination boilers and system boilers; these are wall-hung, floor-standing or externally sited.
Worcester’s solar water heating range was released in 2005, with the ground source heat pump range being released in 2007 and the air source heat pump range being released in 2008.
ed.
An interview with Paul Middlebrough, leader of the Wychavon
District Council in the Worcester News provided some support for the proposed move; “Strategically, Wychavon recognises the absolute necessity to retain Bosch and formulate its expansion in the Worcester area. In this difficult and probably deteriorating time, the fact that Bosch are going to expand is good for everybody. The proposal will provide opportunities for more employees to move into a prime location, which places us in a good position to promote jobs for local people as the economy recovers."
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
based domestic heating and hot water products manufacturer.
The company was founded in 1962 by Cecil Duckworth as Worcester Engineering Co Ltd in Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. After changing its name to Worcester Heat Systems Ltd, in 1992 the company was acquired by Robert Bosch GmbH
Robert Bosch GmbH
Robert Bosch GmbH is a multinational engineering and electronics company headquartered in Gerlingen, near Stuttgart, Germany. It is the world's largest supplier of automotive components...
, adopting the new name of Worcester, Bosch Group.
The headquarters is based in Warndon
Warndon
Warndon is a suburb and civil parish of the City of Worcester in Worcestershire, England.The parish, which includes the villages of Trotshill and Warndon was part of Droitwich Rural District until 1974 when it was annexed to Worcester under the Local Government Act 1972...
. The company employs more than 2,000 people across the headquarters and manufacturing plants in Worcester and Clay Cross, Derbyshire
Clay Cross
Clay Cross is a former mining town and civil parish in the North East Derbyshire district of Derbyshire, England, about six miles south of Chesterfield. It is directly on the A61, the former Roman road Ryknield Street...
, including a network of over 300 service engineers and over 80 technically trained field sales managers.
History
The company was originally founded by Cecil Duckworth in 1962 as Worcester Engineering Co Ltd, based at the Old Vinegar works in Worcester. Worcester’s early success is contributed to the pioneering of combination boilers in the UK, further successful performance in the UK heating market led to the expansion and relocation of the factory to its current headquarters in Warndon in 1990.Continued growth was followed by the acquisition by Robert Bosch GmbH in 1992, with the company changing its name to ‘Worcester, Bosch Group’. As part of Bosch’s thermotechnology subsidiary, Worcester is a brand of Bosch Thermotechnology Ltd, the collective name that refers to Worcester, Bosch Group and Buderus (acquired by Bosch in 2003).
Whilst Worcester’s origins lie in oil and gas boilers, recent years have seen the company champion renewable technologies such as solar water heating, ground source and air source heat pumps. The company runs schemes such as the Environment 2020 awards to reward and promote energy efficiency and reinforce their commitment to being an “environmentally responsible manufacturer”.
Worcester has been awarded the Royal Warrant by Her Majesty the Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
for supplying hot water products to the Royal Family.
Worcester Bosch Group were a founding sponsor of the Upton Blues Festival
Upton Blues Festival
The Upton Blues Festival is an annual blues festival, centred on Upton-on-Severn in Worcestershire. Formed in 2001, the festival aims to support Blues music in Upton, and support the local community....
, but in 2009 reluctantly pulled out.
Worcester have recently teamed up with the Scout Association to sponsor their cub scout Global Challenge badge which helps children to understand the complexities of energy conservation throughout the world.
Product portfolio
Worcester’s product portfolio covers seven technologies:- Natural gasNatural gasNatural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
, heating oilHeating oilHeating oil, or oil heat, is a low viscosity, flammable liquid petroleum product used as a fuel for furnaces or boilers in buildings. Home heating oil is often abbreviated as HHO...
and liquefied petroleum gas fired boilers - Solar water heatingSolar hot waterSolar water heating or solar hot water systems comprise several innovations and many mature renewable energy technologies that have been well established for many years...
- Geothermal heat pumps
- Air to air heat pumps
- Air to water heat pumps
Worcester’s gas, oil and LPG ranges consist of high efficiency regular boilers, combination boilers and system boilers; these are wall-hung, floor-standing or externally sited.
Worcester’s solar water heating range was released in 2005, with the ground source heat pump range being released in 2007 and the air source heat pump range being released in 2008.
Installation
Worcester operates a loyalty scheme known as the Worcester Accredited Installer scheme. Worcester Accredited Installers “specialise in Worcester products and can offer extended warranties” and benefit from features such as the online ‘Find an Installer’ search. Worcester Accredited Installers are experienced in fitting Worcester products but are not employed by Worcester. Worcester specifies that all members of the Worcester Accredited Installer scheme are Gas Safe RegisterGas Safe Register
The Gas Safe Register is the official registration scheme in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and Guernsey for installers and maintenance engineers dealing with natural gas appliances...
ed.
Environment 2020
Another notable scheme from Worcester is the Environment 2020 awards, which are “intended to celebrate and promote activities dedicated to conserving the environment for future generations.” These consist of a children’s art competition, a self-build competition and an installation competition. Once a year the company holds an awards day at Worcester’s headquarters in Warndon to present the annual winners with their awards.Relocation plans
It has been announced in the local and national press that the company has applied for planning permission to relocate its Warndon headquarters to a new site near junction 6 of the M5. This land is part of the Green Belt.An interview with Paul Middlebrough, leader of the Wychavon
Wychavon
Wychavon is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in Pershore. Other towns in the district include Droitwich Spa, Evesham and Broadway. The district extends from the south-east corner of Worcestershire north and west...
District Council in the Worcester News provided some support for the proposed move; “Strategically, Wychavon recognises the absolute necessity to retain Bosch and formulate its expansion in the Worcester area. In this difficult and probably deteriorating time, the fact that Bosch are going to expand is good for everybody. The proposal will provide opportunities for more employees to move into a prime location, which places us in a good position to promote jobs for local people as the economy recovers."