By Jessica Cheam

SALES for engineering giant Robert Bosch declined in 2008 along with the global economy, but that's not stopping it from opening a new $21 million research and development centre in Singapore.

The privately-owned German firm on Wednesday announced it will set up the Asia Pacific headquarters of its newly-acquired business software house, Innovations Software Technology, in Singapore.

Innovations offers enterprise solutions, mainly for the financial services industry, but is set to enter the healthcare and energy management sectors, given Bosch's expertise.

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