Corporate history

Founding of the company

The limited liability company Zahnradfabrik was founded in Friedrichshafen on 20 August 1915, and its name was entered in the commercial register of the Tettnang district court on 9 September. According to the commercial register entry, the purpose of the company was to manufacture gear wheels and transmissions for aircraft, motor cars and motor boats. So from the outset, Zahnradfabrik sought to develop innovative products for optimal mobility. The founding signatories were Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH, represented by Alfred Colsman, and the Max Maag Zahnräderfabrik of Zurich, Switzerland.

From airships to automobiles

From its beginnings as a manufacturer of gear wheels and transmissions for Zeppelin airships to its present form as an international supplier of driveline and chassis technology, innovation, invention and technical expertise have been the mainsprings of the company. Zahnradfabrik applied for 10 patents in its very first year of existence. As the automotive industry flourished after World War I, the company began to focus on the development and production of transmissions for motor vehicles. The factory was already engaged in series production in the 1920s, and standard transmissions were even being mass-produced. Financially, too, the future course was set. In 1921, the company went public, trading under the name Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen AG until 1991. It was renamed ZF Friedrichshafen AG in 1992 to account for the growing product line and continual development of business activities outside Europe.

Foundation-owned company and global player

As a foundation-owned company, business ethics and social responsibility are central to ZF’s corporate culture, which goes far beyond the bottom line and jobs. For ZF, it is a matter of course to assume social and environmental responsibility, and to do its part in numerous national and international assistance projects. The foundation set up in 1908 by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin is today under the auspices of the City of Friedrichshafen. 93.8 percent of ZF shares are allocated to the Zeppelin Foundation, and 6.2 percent to the Dr. Jürgen Ulderup Foundation. According to the foundation's bylaws, dividends are devoted solely to charitable and non-profit purposes.
In its nearly 100-year history, ZF has continually grown through new products and technology, as well as through internationalization. Newly acquired companies and their employees have also brought important impulses for ZF’s further development. The successful takeover in October 2001 of Mannesmann Sachs AG, with its four business areas of powertrain, suspension, rubber-metal (Boge) and trading, marks one of the greatest milestones in the history of the company. The activities of Sachs complement the existing ZF product line, and are brought together in the new Powertrain and Suspension Components division.
ZF is today the third-largest German automotive supplier, and it stands among the 10 largest companies in the world automotive supplier rankings.