세계적인 자동차 부품업체인 보쉬가 지난해까지만 해도 합작관계에 있던 삼성 SDI를 놓고 한 말이다.
또한 보쉬는 삼성이 보쉬의 브랜드 가치만을 보고 접근한 것도 알고 있으며, 그때는 그럴만했다고 말했다.
“그게 인생이다,” 라며 보쉬의 베른트 보어 회장은 “궁극적으로는 서로 중장기 목표가 달라 갈라설 수밖에 없었다”고 밝혔다. 그러면서도 그는 여전히 삼성 SDI에 대한 애틋함을 내비쳤다.
“이혼했다고 보면 된다. 그러면서 셀은 삼성이 가져갔고, 배터리 팩은 우리가 가져온거다. 그리고 우리는 여전히 협력관계에 있다.”
마치 이혼하고 아이를 하나씩 데려가기로 결정한 부모의 모습과 같다.
실제로 보쉬와 삼성은 여전히 자동차 전지 부문에 있어서 협력은 물론, 특허도 공유하고 있다. 삼성 SDI에서 만든 배터리 셀이 모이면 모듈이 되고, 보쉬는 모듈을 합쳐 베터리 팩을 만들어 최종적으로 완성차에 납품하게 된다.
이렇게 만들어진 내년부터 피아트 500e 전기차에 본격적으로 공급된다.
보어 회장은 삼성과의 합작 덕분이었다고 말했다.
보쉬는 지난 2008년, 삼성 SDI와 50 대 50의 지분 비율로 투자해 전기차용 배터리 합작사인 SB 리모티브를 설립했다.
이후 지난해 9월, 삼성SDI는 보쉬가 보유한 SB리모티브 지분 전량을 인수하면서 양사의 합작관계는 청산됐다. 이후 삼성SDI가 SB리모티브를 흡수합병했다.
하지만 보쉬는 여기서 멈추지 않고 새로운 파트너를 물색 중이라고 밝혔다. 향후 반년 안에
전기화학 분야에서의 파트너쉽을 맺게 될 것이라고 보어 회장은 덧붙였다.
<관련 영문 기사>
Bosch confident of success in electric driving era, too
By Lee Ji-yoon
BOXBERG, Germany - For Bosch, it was like the divorce of a married couple. "Bosch and Samsung SDI had different mid- and long-term strategic objectives. So we decided to divide the joint venture,” said Bernd Bohr, chairman of Bosch’s automotive group. Bosch is the world’s largest auto parts supplier in terms of sales.
“The cell business goes to Samsung, while battery pack and management goes to Bosch. We are still in a kind of cooperation,” he added at a press conference here.
Bohr also said Bosch realized Samsung had approached it from the start due to its brand value, but refused to dwell on it, saying Samsung SDI had given it a much needed legup for entering the car battery market.
Last year, Bosch sold its entire stake in a 50-50 joint venture called SB LiMotive, which it established together with Samsung SDI to develop batteries for electric vehicles back in 2009.
The German company now pursues its own battery research, while using cells from Samsung in a Bosch battery pack that will be supplied to the Fiat 500e electric car starting next year.
In a way, the two companies are still meshed in a relationship, as they are forced to combine their efforts for sales. The two also continue to share patents.
Amid the shift toward electric cars, which is reshuffling entire value chains in the car sector, the German giant aims to continue to prevail in the new automotive future.
“The cars on the world’s roads are still running on diesel and gasoline, and things will stay that way for the rest of the decade,” Bohr said. "However, slowly but surely, the number of alternatives is growing."
The company predicts 110 million newly registered vehicles around the world by 2020, with 12 million of them having an electric powertrain.
Bosch currently pours about 400 million euros ($534 million) every year for electromobility, although the segment remains mainly an investment for the future rather than for an immediate mass market.
Asked if he believes Bosch could continue its supremacy in the new era of electric driving, the automotive chief seemed to have no doubts, saying it has always been in a fierce competition with two to three strong rivals.
“For the electric vehicle, we need to be aware that very new competitors are coming from outside the automotive industry,” he said.
“It’s a race with those companies learning how to do business in this industry, which is very special and difficult,” he said.
He also said the company’s diesel business, in particular, would maintain its competitive edge, citing the willingness to choose diesel-powered hybrid cars among fuel-conscious customers who also want better power.
Seeking new partnerships is also crucial to continuing growth for Bosch, which pulled out of its joint venture with Korea’s Samsung SDI last year.
“Batteries are a key element of electric driving. We are considering setting up manufacturing systems with other companies though, at a pilot level,” he said.
Bosch, an avid German collector of partnerships, is expected to announce new business partnerships in the coming six months on powertrain electrification and related IT technologies. Bohr declined to further elaborate.
With some 300 journalists from 25 countries joining the biannual global press conference this week, Bosch is showcasing its latest innovations in powertrain electrification and automated driving -- the key areas for more efficient and safer driving.
(
jylee@heraldcorp.com)
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