China is at the vanguard of electromobility: Some 10.9 million electric vehicles were on roads worldwide in 2020, five million of which were motoring in China¹. This country’s preeminence in e-vehicles is a major reason why ITK Engineering opted to expand its local footprint. The Ruelzheim-based company set up an office of its own in the city of Wuxi in Jiangsu province in August. Its mission is to nurture existing business ties and win new customers.

From safety to AUTOSAR and validation
“Our market entry into China was prompted by the changing demands of many Chinese customers in the fields of electromobility and highly automated driving,” says ITK founder and CEO Michael Englert. “They expect local, customer-specific, and market-differentiating development of new technologies.” This is precisely where ITK Engineering can bring to bear its skills as a development service provider, addressing topics such as safety, security, AUTOSAR, and verification and validation.

The starting point in China is an office staffed with local sales experts, soon to be joined by more personnel. The company plans to increase the team to 100 people by 2024, hiring mainly software and system development engineers. “The proximity to Shanghai is a key geographical advantage for us. It will enable us to quickly expand our contacts in the automotive industry and attract highly qualified specialists in the years ahead,” says Chen Xue, head of the new ITK office.

The perfect complement to the Bosch Group’s portfolio

ITK Engineering’s exceptional business model is a winning proposition in Germany, and no less so in China. “With our distinctive methodological expertise, we are able to offer customized, exclusive software and system solutions to our customers,” says Chen Xue. “They obtain all rights to our developments when we complete a project.”

This is the perfect complement to the portfolio that the parent company of ITK, Robert Bosch GmbH, offers in China. ITK Engineering is underscoring this close alliance with the unprecedented move of adding the tagline “A Bosch Company” to its brand. ITK’s brand name in China is kē guǎng ruì, which means technology, comprehensive, far-sighted.

China, an important driver for European business

While the company will first focus on development services for electromobility and highly automated driving, it also intends to delve into medical and rail technology in China over the medium term. These two lines of businesses are pillars of ITK Engineering’s European operations.

“The decision to branch out into China is a strategically logical step following our development in Europe,” says Englert. “We have achieved a good market position here and we work with many leading automakers. China is a huge market with high technology standards and an impressive pace of innovation. We expect it to provide invaluable impetus and additional inspiration for our global activities.”

¹ Figures compiled by the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg, Germany in March 2021