Giesecke & Devrient's, chairman Karsten Ottenberg is leaving the company on his own accord, effective September 30, 2013. Ottenberg will join Bosch und Siemens Hausgerate as chairman of the management board. Ottenberg has been CEO and chairman of the management board of the G&D Munich since April 1, 2005. Over the last eight years he has led the company. Before joining G&D, Ottenberg spent eighteen years at the Dutch Philips group in various management roles in research and development, marketing and sales as well as being responsible for integrated business divisions on the board of the company's semiconductor division. His successor will be announced in due course.

BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeraete GmbH is building its first factory in India for manufacturing home appliances. A foundation stone was laid at the Pillaipakkam industrial park, near the Indian economic city of Chennai. Manufacturing of washing machines is scheduled to start on the site in the second half of 2014. BSH is investing about EUR 50 million in the plant, which is intended to produce appliances for the Indian market as well as for export to Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. The plant as being on a 42-acre site and said it will have annual production capacity of about 600,000 appliances. In order to meet the needs of local regional appliance consumers, BSH is also building a development center on the factory site. The center will develop future appliance generations for the Indian and South-East Asian market.

Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. entered into a refrigerator technology partnership with BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeraete GmbH of Germany. A new line of energy efficient refrigerators will be developed under the partnership and the refrigerators will be manufactured at a Godrej plant in Shirwal, near the Indian city of Pune. Both companies will sell the refrigerators, each under its own brand names. In addition to India, the appliances will be marketed in the Asia Pacific nations, in the Middle East, and in Africa.