Robert Bosch GmbH

Robert Bosch GmbH is a technology-based corporation which was founded by Robert Bosch in Stuttgart, Germany in 1886.
Robert Bosch GmbH is the world's largest supplier of automobile components, and has business relationships with virtually every automobile company in the world. The headquarters of Bosch is in Gerlingen, near Stuttgart. Franz Fehrenbach became chairman on 1 July 2003. The Bosch Group comprises more than 275 subsidiary companies.
Robert Bosch GmbH, including its wholly owned subsidiaries such as Robert Bosch LLC in North America, is unusual in that it is an extremely large, privately owned corporation that is almost entirely (92%) owned by a charitable foundation. Thus, while most of the profits are ploughed back into the corporation to build for the future and sustain growth, nearly all of the profits distributed to shareholders are devoted to humanitarian causes.

Diagram of Robert Bosch GmbH (Beteiligung relates to shares, Stimmen to voice/votes).
As shown in the diagram (above), the Robert Bosch Stiftung (Robert Bosch Foundation) holds 92% of the shares (Beteiligung) of Robert Bosch GmbH, but no voting rights (Stimmrecht). The Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG (Robert Bosch Industrial Trust KG), with old members of the company management, agents of the Bosch family, and other eminent people from the industry (such as Jürgen Hambrecht, CEO of BASF), have 93% of the votes (Stimmen), but no shares (0.01%). The remaining 8% of shares and 7% of voting-rights are held by the descendants of the company founder Robert Bosch (Familie Bosch).
For example, in 2004, the net profit was US$2.1 billion, but only US$78 million was distributed as dividends to shareholders. Of that figure, US$72 million was distributed to the charitable foundation, and the other US$6 million to Bosch family stockholders. The remaining 96% of the profits were pumped back into the company. In its core automotive technology business, Bosch invests 9% of