Robert Bosch Inc. last 20 May 2008 pledged an assortment of Bosch Power Tools to the Habitat for Humanity Bagong Buhay Project in Manila. Bosch Managing Director Franz Roland Odenthal (In photo, 3rd from Left) endorsed sets of impact drills, cordless drivers, rotary hammers, grinders and metal cutters to Habitat President Alberto Jugo (4th from Left) during a handover ceremony at the Baseco compound.

Given the precut steel frames and fiber cement board walls of the housing units, Bosch cordless technology and impact drivers are ideal working tools for efficient house construction - “tools that will help build Habitat’s next 1,000 houses,” according to Jugo.

Once steel frames are erected on the foundations, volunteer workers install board walls via metal screws. And due to the rising demand for more and more homes, Bosch impact drills are efficient work tools for handling tough precision jobs and are able to endure hours of use on the field.

Bosch also provided Habitat with grinders and metal cutters to speed-up steel fabrication, allowing the efficient production of raw materials for houses. Other tools include Bosch 2-kg. Rotary Hammers for concrete applications, Bosch Chop Saws and a Bosch Laser Range Finder – a laser-guided measuring device with intelligent functions – which Habitat engineers can use for surveying land and pre / post-construction quality checks.

Building shelter

The Habitat for Humanity aims to preserve human dignity through adequate housing for the poor. In the aftermath of several fires that practically wiped out the Baseco urban settlement for some 2,600 migrant families, Bosch employees institutionalized a yearly tradition of bayanihan (volunteerism) and contribute their time and working tools to building homes for Habitat.

Located at the heart of Manila’s port area, the Baseco Bagong Buhay project is a 15-hectare swamp land that is subdivided into 2,800 individual lots on which prefabricated houses are built. Habitat turned-over the first 1,000 houses to new home owners in Baseco in 2007 and this year endeavors to build the next 1,000 with the help of new Bosch technology.

Bosch has provided much-needed power tools to the organization, enabling it to intensify its building activities.

Bridging hope

Robert Bosch (1861-1942), noted German philanthropist and founder of the Bosch Group and Former US President Jimmy Carter – while generations apart – are stringed together by a common thread to uphold human dignity through acts of charity. At the intersecting visions of these two historic stalwarts is the call to make shelter a matter of conscience; volunteers who build modest homes that are sold at cost to low-income families. And thus, Bosch and Habitat for Humanity build “bridges” – between industry and society, between the state and the people.

Right about the time of the industrial revolution, one of the foremost German entrepreneurs, Robert Bosch was one of the first to implement the 8-hour work day, while other companies operated on 14-hour shifts. The industrialist also introduced old-age pension, a welfare scheme, and even a hospital for employees, which were almost unheard of in those days.

In his final testament, he willed that his enterprise be owned by a charitable foundation. Robert Bosch GmbH (Germany) today operates in 50 countries with its more than 270 thousand associates and has remained focused on the humanitarian spirit sparked by its founder exactly 100 years ago. In 2006, the company provided €72 million to humanitarian efforts, education and international understanding – the largest grant in any given year from a single German company.

During his term as US President (1977-1981), Jimmy Carter was beset with national issues pertaining to a struggling economy and unemployment – a situation which took a dramatic turnaround by the end of his administration. In addition to solving energy shortage and further establishing domestic petroleum production, President Carter is also responsible for an increase of nearly eight million jobs by the end of his term.

President Carter has also been an active proponent of Habitat for Humanity since 1984 – a strong advocacy he shares with Bob Hope, Paul Newman and Amy Grant.

Beyond business

In the grand scheme of Bosch worldwide, the local fledgling company is but a part of its behemoth mechanism. Such is the irony of operating in a developing economy like the Philippines – the imbalance of resources and the increasing needs of the country’s citizens. This is where Bosch intends to make a difference.

The private-owned industrial corporation is part of a long tradition of giving back to the people. “Corporate responsibility goes far beyond purely business interests. It lies at the intersection of business (and) society” said Peter J. Marks, present board member of Robert Bosch GmbH, at the Forum for Sustainable Development of German Industry. “We look far beyond our own immediate interests.”