ZF Friedrichshafen AG, also known as ZF Group, originally ''Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen'', and commonly abbreviated to ZF (ZF = "Zahnradfabrik" = "Cogwheel Factory"), is a German car parts maker headquartered in
Friedrichshafen
Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the district capital (''K ...
, in the south-west German state of
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
. Specialising in engineering, it is primarily known for its design,
research and development, and
manufacturing
Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...
activities in the
automotive industry
The automotive industry comprises a wide range of companies and organizations involved in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, and selling of motor vehicles. It is one of the world's largest industries by revenue (from 16 % such ...
. It is a worldwide supplier of
driveline
A drivetrain (also frequently spelled as drive train or sometimes drive-train) is the group of components that deliver mechanical power from the prime mover to the driven components. In automotive engineering, the drivetrain is the components o ...
and
chassis technology for cars and
commercial vehicle
A commercial vehicle is any type of motor vehicle used for transporting goods or paying passengers.
The United States defines a "commercial motor vehicle" as any self-propelled or towed vehicle used on a public highway in interstate commerce to t ...
s, along with specialist plant equipment such as construction equipment. It is also involved in rail,
marine,
defense and aviation
industries, as well as general industrial applications. ZF has 241 production locations in 41 countries with approximately 148,000 (2019) employees.
ZF Friedrichshafen is more than 90% owned by the
Zeppelin Foundation The Zeppelin Foundation is an institution founded by Ferdinand von Zeppelin. Originally founded to support development of zeppelins and other airships, it now owns a number of large businesses in full or in part and uses its income for philanthropic ...
, which is largely controlled by the town of Friedrichshafen.
History
The company was founded in 1915 in
Friedrichshafen
Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the district capital (''K ...
, Germany by
Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH, to produce
gear
A gear is a rotating circular machine part having cut teeth or, in the case of a cogwheel or gearwheel, inserted teeth (called ''cogs''), which mesh with another (compatible) toothed part to transmit (convert) torque and speed. The basic ...
s for
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...
s and other
airship
An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air.
In early ...
s. Zeppelin was unable to otherwise obtain gears for his airships. The German ''Zahnradfabrik'' (ZF) translates to 'gear factory' in English.
By 1919, ZF had moved into the automobile market, a move consolidated by the terms of the
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...
. Some of the most important milestones that followed:
*1920: Patent application submitted for the
Soden six speed transmission.
*1921: Under a
rampant inflation and investor fears, the company went public as the ''Zepernicker Zahnradfabrik'', with the ''Zeppelin Luftschiffbau GmbH'' holding 80% of the stock options, valued at 4 million
Marks
Marks may refer to:
Business
* Mark's, a Canadian retail chain
* Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain
* Collective trade marks, trademarks owned by an organisation for the benefit of its members
* Marks & Co, the inspiration for the novel ...
.
*1927: Moved to
Friedrichshafen
Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the district capital (''K ...
and changed the name to ''ZF Friedrichshafen''
*1929: A thriving auto industry warrants the series production of the innovative helical
ZF Aphon transmission ZF, Z-F, or Zf may refer to:
Businesses and organizations
* ZF Friedrichshafen, a German supplier of automobile transmissions
* Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland, an organization established to campaign for a permanent homeland for th ...
for cars and commercial vehicles.
*1932: Launch of steering systems production under license. Today: ''ZF Lenksysteme GmbH''.
*1944: On 3 August, the ''Zahnradfabrik''
was bombed by the 304th BW /
Fifteenth Air Force. As early as 20 September 1942,
Albert Speer had warned Hitler of how important the Friedrichshafen
tank
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engi ...
engine production and the
Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt ( , ; ) is a city in the district of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the surrounding district (''Landkreis'') of Schweinfurt and a major industrial, cultural and educational hub. The urban ag ...
ball-bearing facilities were. After the bombing, the company was relocated to former location,
Zepernick until the 1970s.
*1944: Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen created the
Panzer IV hydrostatischer
The ''Panzerkampfwagen'' IV (Pz.Kpfw. IV), commonly known as the ''Panzer'' IV, was a German medium tank developed in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 161.
The Panze ...
, the only tank that they modified with their
hydraulic drive.
*1953: Market launch of the first fully synchronised transmission for commercial vehicles worldwide.
*1961: Development of a fully
automatic transmission
An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving ...
for passenger cars. With series production beginning in 1969, and later proving highly popular, the
3HP20 is built to be swappable with the company's
manual transmission
A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission system, where gear change ...
s. The 1960s sees ZF supplying transmissions to major German automakers (including
DKW,
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...
,
Porsche and
BMW) as well as
Peugeot
Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis.
The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and the ...
and
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." "A ...
.
*1977: Start of volume production for automatic transmissions for commercial vehicles. Worldwide subsidiaries and factories were opened in the 1970s, and the company moved into
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and South Korea.
*1980s: ZF started operating in Asia in the mid 80s
*1984: Majority shareholding gained in ''Lemförder Metallwaren AG'', today ''ZF Lemförder GmbH''.
*1986: Start of USA transmission production in
Gainesville, Georgia, for pickup trucks. ZF became a major supplier to
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
in the 1980s.
*1991: The
5HP18 was the first 5-speed automatic transmission for passenger cars. Introduced in 1991 on the
BMW E36
The third generation of the BMW 3 Series range of compact executive cars is designated under the model code E36, and was produced by the German automaker BMW from 1990 to 2000. The initial models were of the four-door sedan body style, followed ...
320i/325i and
E34 5 Series
*1994: Development of an automatic transmission system for heavy commercial vehicles. The company expanded into China in the 1990s.
*1999: World premiere for the first automatic 6-speed transmission. Series production begins in 2001, with the
BMW 7 Series as the first client. Today, ZF produces around one million six-speed automatic transmissions annually.
*2001: Acquisition of ''Mannesmann Sachs AG''. Today: ''
ZF Sachs
ZF Sachs AG, also known as Fichtel & Sachs, was founded in Schweinfurt in 1895 and was a well-known German family business. At its last point as an independent company, the company name was Fichtel & Sachs AG.
In 1997, the automotive supplier wa ...
AG''.
*2001:
Active Roll Stabilization
An anti-roll bar (roll bar, anti-sway bar, sway bar, stabilizer bar) is a part of many automobile suspensions that helps reduce the body roll of a vehicle during fast cornering or over road irregularities. It connects opposite (left/right) whee ...
(ARS) premiere on
BMW 7 Series (E65)
*2002: Presentation of the world's first 4-point link – a newly developed chassis module for trucks and buses.
*2003: First deliveries of the
Active Steering systems for passenger cars.
*2004: Ford starts volume production of the
continuously variable transmissions (CVT) for passenger cars developed by ZF.
*2005: The 10-millionth
airbag casing, the 5-millionth passenger car axle system and the 2-millionth 'Servolectric' electric power steering system are delivered.
*2006: ZF produces the 10-millionth passenger car automatic transmission.
*2007: One of the world's first 8-speed automatic transmissions, the
8HP boasted to achieve an 11% improvement in fuel economy in comparison with standard 6-speed automatic transmissions. Production began in 2009.
*2008: Acquisition of keyboard manufacturers
Cherry Corporation. Incorporated into the ZF Electronics GmbH Corporate Division.
*2011: World premiere for the first automatic 9-speed transmission.
Land Rover demonstrated the world's first nine-speed automatic transmission for a passenger car at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. The ZF
9HP transmission is designed for transverse applications, and is one of the most efficient and technically advanced transmissions ever used in a production vehicle. Land Rover is the lead partner with ZF on this project.
*2013:
Jeep announces that ZF has developed a nine-speed
automatic transmission
An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving ...
for use in its all-new 2014
Jeep Cherokee (KL)
The Jeep Cherokee (KL) is a compact crossover SUV manufactured and marketed by the Jeep marque of Stellantis North America. Introduced for model year 2014 at the 2013 New York International Auto Show, sales began in November 2013. It occupie ...
midsized
crossover utility vehicle
A crossover, crossover SUV, or crossover utility vehicle (CUV) is a type of automobile with an increased ride height that is built on unibody chassis construction shared with passenger cars, as opposed to traditional sport utility vehicles (S ...
.
*2013: ZF Opens Passenger Car Transmission Plant in the
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
*2014: Acquires American auto parts manufacturer
TRW Automotive
TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. was an American global supplier of automotive systems, modules, and components to automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and related aftermarkets. Tracing its roots from TRW Inc. it was originally h ...
for $13.5 billion.
*2015: Acquires industrial gears and wind turbine gearbox segment from Bosch Rexroth (previously Lohmann & Stolterfoht).
*2019: ZF to acquire software specialist for occupant recognition.
*2019: ZF to acquire global auto part manufacturer
WABCO.
*2019: ZF to provide the entire electric powertrain of Mercedes EQC.
*2020: ZF completes acquisition of
WABCO, which will be integrated into ZF as its Commercial Vehicle Control Systems Division.
Products
ZF Friedrichshafen products include automatic and manual transmissions for cars, trucks, buses and construction equipment;
chassis components (ball joints, tie rods, cross-axis joints, stabiliser bars, control arms);
shock absorbers and suspension struts; electronic damping systems including
Continuous Damping Control An active suspension is a type of automotive suspension on a vehicle. It uses an onboard system to control the vertical movement of the vehicle's wheels relative to the chassis or vehicle body rather than the passive suspension provided by large sp ...
(CDC),
Active Roll Stabilization
An anti-roll bar (roll bar, anti-sway bar, sway bar, stabilizer bar) is a part of many automobile suspensions that helps reduce the body roll of a vehicle during fast cornering or over road irregularities. It connects opposite (left/right) whee ...
(ARS);
clutches;
torque converter
A torque converter is a type of fluid coupling that transfers rotating power from a prime mover, like an internal combustion engine, to a rotating driven load. In a vehicle with an automatic transmission, the torque converter connects the power ...
s;
differentials;
axle drives; and industrial drives.
ZF products include
*
driveline
A drivetrain (also frequently spelled as drive train or sometimes drive-train) is the group of components that deliver mechanical power from the prime mover to the driven components. In automotive engineering, the drivetrain is the components o ...
technology (automatic, manual, servo, automated manual, special transmission, driveline components, rubber-metal technology, transfer case, hybrid system)
*
chassis technology (chassis components and modules, steering technology, suspension systems)
* additional technologies (electronic/software, diagnostic systems, precision plastic technology, lubricants)
*
Axle systems and drops
Applications
Cars, trucks, buses & coaches,
light commercial vehicles,
off-road equipment,
rail vehicles,
helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
s, motorcycles, lift trucks, machine and system construction, test systems, civil mobile,
cranes, and special marine, military and agricultural vehicles and machines.
In the ''ZF Lenksysteme'' division (a 50:50 joint venture between ZF and
Bosch),
steering
Steering is a system of components, linkages, and other parts that allows a driver to control the direction of the vehicle.
Introduction
The most conventional steering arrangement allows a driver to turn the front wheels of a vehicle using ...
systems and components are produced, including steering columns, gears and pumps; Electric Power Steering (EPS); and Active Steering.
With the rise in popularity of the automatic transmission in buses, ZF introduced the
ZF AS Tronic
ZF AS Tronic is an automated manual transmission made by ZF Friedrichshafen for the motorcoach and lorry market in Europe and North America which was first introduced in 2003.
As a part of manual transmission, it lacks the torque converter
A ...
. The company also manufactures manual and automatic truck and bus transmissions. ZF transmissions are the ones used most commonly in buses. The
Ecomat automatic transmission range which was introduced in 1980, is frequently used in buses.
''ZF Lemförder'' and ''ZF Sachs AG'' are all divisions/business units of ZF, specialising in original equipment and aftermarket solutions for the
automotive industry
The automotive industry comprises a wide range of companies and organizations involved in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, and selling of motor vehicles. It is one of the world's largest industries by revenue (from 16 % such ...
.
ZF-TRW
ZF-TRW Automotive, headquartered in Livonia, Michigan USA operations primarily surrounding the design, manufacture and sale of safety systems. It operated approximately 200 facilities with 66,100 employees in 26 vehicle-producing countries.
ZF-TRW was acquired in 2015 and now is the 'Active & Passive Safety Technology' division.
Business development
In 1999, the steering systems division was made separate and became the new ZF Lenksysteme GmbH, an independent, 50:50 joint venture between ZF Friedrichshafen and
Robert Bosch GmbH.
In 2007 ZF Friedrichshafen managed to increase its business volume about 8% to billion. The operating profit was about million. In 2008 ZF had a profit of million from a total business volume of billion. During the financial crisis ZF was one of the companies hit most. Its business volume decreased in turnover to billion. Total loss was about million. According to the current development ZF is forecasting sales growth of about 10%, which would be above the industry average.
Due to the financial crisis ZF received a credit of about million by KfW. At the end of the term, it has to be paid back with interest. Being a state bank, the KfW aid is not considered governmental support. ZF is about to save million without reducing its permanent staff. Contracts of short-term employees were not extended. Total number of employees was reduced from 63,000 to 59,000 worldwide. According to CEO Härter, there is no need for further employee reduction.
On 16 September 2014, the
Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
reported that ZF agreed to acquire
TRW Automotive Holdings
TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. was an American global supplier of automotive systems, modules, and components to automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and related aftermarkets. Tracing its roots from TRW Inc. it was originally he ...
for $13.5 billion. The acquisition would create the world's second largest automotive parts concern, ranked just behind
Robert Bosch GmbH.
For clearing way to acquire
TRW Automotive Holdings
TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. was an American global supplier of automotive systems, modules, and components to automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and related aftermarkets. Tracing its roots from TRW Inc. it was originally he ...
,
ZF Friedrichshafen AG
ZF Friedrichshafen AG, also known as ZF Group, originally ''Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen'', and commonly abbreviated to ZF (ZF = "Zahnradfabrik" = "Cogwheel Factory"), is a German car parts maker headquartered in Friedrichshafen, in the south ...
sold its stake in ZF Lenksysteme GmbH to
Robert Bosch GmbH. ZF Lenksysteme GmbH has now been renamed as Robert Bosch Automotive Steering GmbH.
In September 2020, ZF Friedrichshafen AG entered a partnership with Aeva Inc to put Lidar sensors, a sensor for self-driving vehicles, into production.
Business organisations
The business units are assigned to the nine divisions:
[
* Active Safety Systems - Sales (2020) €4,987 million: Electronic Stability Control, Integrated Brake Control, Electric Park Brakes, Electrically Powered Steering Systems and Electrically Powered Hydraulic Steering Systems
* Car Chassis Technology - Sales (2020) €6,680 million: chassis components for wheel guidance to complete front and rear axles, including passive and semi-active dampers, as well as electromechanical active chassis systems
* Electrified Powertrain Technology - Sales (2020) 8,459 million: Automatic Transmissions, Automated Manual Transmissions, Manual Transmissions, and Dual-Clutch Automatic Transmissions, Powertrain Modules, Electronic Systems, Electric Motors, Electric Vehicle Drives, Electronic Interfaces
* Electronics & ADAS - Sales (2020) €1,561 million: advanced driver assist systems, sensor technologies, integrated electronics including advanced safety domain control units and safety electronics such as airbag electronic control units and crash sensors for the automotive industry
* Passive Safety Systems - Sales (2020) €3,503 million: airbags, airbag inflators, seat belt systems and steering wheels
* Commercial Vehicle Control Systems - Sales (2020) €1,539 million: braking control systems and other advanced technologies that improve the safety, efficiency and connectivity of commercial vehicles
* Commercial Vehicle Technology - Sales (2020) €3,307 million: automated, manual and powershift transmissions as well as drive components such as clutches and electric drives, and ADAS technology such as automated, camera and radar-based comfort and safety functions for trucks and buses, chassis systems, chassis components and steering systems for vehicles
* Industrial Technology - Sales (2020) €2,687 million: transmissions and axles for agricultural and construction machinery as well as driveline technology for material handling systems, rail and special vehicles, marine propulsion systems, aviation technology as well as the development and production of gearboxes for wind turbines and industrial applications, Test systems for all kinds of applications in driveline and chassis technology
* Aftermarket - Sales (2020) €2,522 million: product brands ZF, LEMFÖRDER, SACHS, TRW and BOGE
]
Overseas facilities
The ZF Group is represented across the world. The primary market is Europe, followed by the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia, North and South America and Middle East & Africa.
The company has six worldwide research and development (R&D) sites to provide product development related to the local markets. ZF invests approximately 5 percent of its sales revenue on R&D annually.
*Since 1973 ZF has played an active role in Great Britain. The manufacturing base in Darlaston
Darlaston is an industrial town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall in the West Midlands of England. It is located near Wednesbury and Willenhall.
Topography
Darlaston is situated between Wednesbury and Walsall in the valley of the Riv ...
provides Britain's automotive industry with chassis components, including Jaguar, BMW and Land Rover. ZF Great Britain Ltd. based in Nottingham has a remanufacturing facility and customer support operation.
*ZF participates in the NAFTA Region. With 16 locations, one R & D center near Detroit and about 4,700 employees, North America is an important market base. A manufacturing plant is currently being built in Laurens County, South Carolina. Groundbreaking took place in January 2011, and the facility was completed in April 2012, with production slated to begin in 2013.''locations worldwide''
official website, 2010
*Due to the expansion of Asian vehicle manufacturers, ZF has focused strongly on China, Korea and Japan, but also Australia, included in the Asia-Pacific region.
*Liuzhou ZF Machinery Co., Ltd.
Liuzhou
Liuzhou (; , IPA Pronunciation:) is a prefecture-level city in north-central Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China. The prefecture's population was 3,758,700 in 2010, including 1,436,599 in the built-up area made of 4 urban ...
, Guangxi,
China is a joint venture company between
Guangxi LiuGong Machinery
LiuGong, officially Guangxi LiuGong Machinery Co., Ltd., is a Chinese multinational
construction machinery manufacturing company headquartered in Liuzhou, China. It is the world's 10th-largest construction equipment manufacturer by market share ...
Co., Ltd. of China and ZF Friedrichshafen AG of Germany to manufacture driveline and parts of driveline for construction machinery. Ratified by the People's Government of Guangxi, both shareholders signed the JV Contract in the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, on Dec.12, 1995, and the business license was approved in the same year. Contribution Ratio: Guangxi LiuGong Machinery Co., Ltd.-49% ZF Friedrichshafen AG-51%
*ZF has been represented in India with joint ventures and license partnerships for over three decades. In 2007, ZF India Private Ltd. commenced operations in Pune. The focus of production is on axles and off-road driveline technology and commercial vehicle technology. Together with the Head of ZF India, Piyush Munot, Strebl is in charge of setting up new production lines for the off-road axles and transmission systems. The upswing in the construction machinery sector is also apparent in ZF's performance on site: the assembly plant consists of factory buildings with a surface area of 2,500 sq m (approx. 27,000 sq ft) plus a 1,500-sq-m (approx. 16,000 sq ft) warehouse and an integrated aftermarket service facility.
See also
*
List of ZF transmissions
This list of ZF transmissions details those automotive transmissions created by the German ZF Friedrichshafen AG engineering company.
There are two fundamental types of motor vehicle transmission:
* Manual – the driver has to perform each ...
References
External links
ZF.comofficial website
*
{{Automotive industry in Germany
Defence companies of Germany
Auto parts suppliers of Germany
Automotive transmission makers
German brands
Companies based in Friedrichshafen
Manufacturing companies established in 1915
Automotive motorsports and performance companies