A German group of companies, the world's leading provider of technology and services for industrial technology, consumer goods and packaging technology. The company was founded by German entrepreneur and engineer Robert Bosch on November 15, 1886. The company's headquarters are located in Gerlingen, Germany, near Stuttgart. According to preliminary data, in 2015, Bosch invested about 6.3 billion euros in research and development, and also applied for 5,422 patents worldwide. Around 375,000 employees generated a record turnover of 70 billion euros in fiscal 2015.