Bosch Building Technologies Traces Its Roots Back a Century

Robert Bosch GmbH is recounting the history of its building technologies division, a segment that originated with security systems 100 years ago and has since evolved into connected building solutions.

The division's origins date back to 1920 with the founding of Hanseatische Notruf AG. This company developed alarm monitoring technology and operated as a police emergency call center in Hamburg. Concurrently, the parent company Bosch was focusing on automotive innovations.

In 1935, Telefonbau und Normalzeit GmbH acquired Hanseatische Notruf AG. Bosch began acquiring a majority stake in this company, later known as Telenorma, starting in 1981.

Bosch's extensive experience in communications technology, including video and audio transmission, two-way radios, and car phones, formed the foundation for its current building technologies. These competencies were developed prior to the integration of the acquired companies.

In 1989, Bosch consolidated these activities into the Telecommunications business sector, which later became Bosch Telecom. This established the basis for the present-day building technologies division, integrating security, automation, and energy solutions for buildings.