Every automobile requires a starter, and for decades, Bosch Auto Parts has been the world’s leading supplier of this key engine component. The company manufactures starters around the clock on seven assembly lines at its plant in Hildesheim, Germany.
Each line features 25 machines that surround a self-contained diffusion welding unit designed and built by GAteK (Gesellschaft für Automatisierungstechnik und Konstruktion). Thorsten Hoffmeister and Volker Thomas, managing directors at GAteK, have been designing automation systems for Bosch’s Hildesheim plant for three decades.