Worcester Bosch (commonly referred to as Worcester) is a United Kingdom based heating and hot water products manufacturer. The company was founded in 1962 by Cecil Duckworth as Worcester Engineering Co Ltd in Worcester, England. After changing its name to Worcester Heat Systems Ltd, in 1992 the company was acquired by Robert Bosch GmbH, adopting the new name of Worcester Bosch. Headquartered in Warndon, the company employs more than 2,000 people across the headquarters and manufacturing plants in Worcester and Clay Cross, Derbyshire, including a network of over 300 service engineers and over 80 technically trained field sales managers. History The company was founded by Cecil Duckworth in 1962 as Worcester Engineering Co Ltd, based at the Old Vinegar works in Worcester. Worcester's early success is attributed to the pioneering of combination boilers in the UK, further successful performance in the UK heating market led to the expansion and relocation of the factory to its current headquarters in Warndon in 1990. Continued growth was followed by the acquisition by Robert Bosch GmbH in 1992, with the company changing its name to 'Worcester, Bosch Group'. As part of Bosch's heating technology subsidiary, Worcester is a brand of Bosch Thermotechnology Ltd, the collective name that refers to Worcester, Bosch Group and Buderus (acquired by Bosch in 2003). Whilst Worcester's origins lie in oil and gas boilers, recent years have seen the company champion renewable technologies such as solar water heating, ground source and air source heat pumps. The company runs schemes such as the Environment 2020 awards to reward and promote energy efficiency and reinforce their commitment to being an "environmentally responsible manufacturer". Worcester has been awarded the royal warrant by the Queen for supplying hot water products to the royal family. Worcester Bosch Group were a founding sponsor of the Upton Blues Festival, but in 2009 reluctantly pulled out. Worcester have recently teamed up with the Scout Association to sponsor their cub scout Global Challenge badge which helps children to understand the complexities of energy conservation throughout the world. The Company and their products have also been independently recognised by the UK's largest consumer body, Which?, who awarded 'Best Buy' awards in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014 to products in Worcester's Gas range. The summary of the 2014 Which? Boiler Report stated "Worcester continues to be the best gas-fired boiler brand. Its customers are the happiest of any brand's customers in