Company Perspective

The ZF Group has been a reliable and proficient partner of inter national vehicle manufacturers for more than 90 years. ZF Friedrichshafen AG’s members of the Board of Management and members of the Board of Management, ZF Group, explain in an interview the challenges the company faces today and in the future. Technological leadership and proximity to the customer in international markets are major success factors for the Group.

As a system partner, ZF already boasts a broad product portfolio for different industries. How is that compatible with a focused market strategy?

Hans-Georg Härter:

With the variety of our products, markets, and customers, there is one central theme to our activities: ZF is recognized as an excellent and reliable partner for innovative driveline and chassis technology. In our minds and actions, we focus on customer benefit by means of leading technology, quality, and service. This consistent orientation toward customer benefit is targeted both at vehicle manufacturers and end customers. It is at the core of ZF’s brand identity.

What examples define technological leadership and innovation?

Michael Paul:

Innovations are not a purpose in themselves for ZF; they must pay off: for vehicle manufacturers, fleet owners, and drivers, but also for the environment and society. Our innovations combine individual mobility and driving pleasure with fuel savings, resource preservation, and extra safety. Each new development must prove itself among the conflicting priorities of these criteria. With our automatic transmissions for passenger cars, we were able to reduce average fuel consumption by roughly 15 percent over the past 16 years. At the same time, driving dynamics were clearly enhanced due to shorter shifting times and better acceleration values. We will continue this trend with the automatic 8-speed transmission, which is also available as a hybrid system. Another example is the electric power steering system Servolectric, which combines easier assembly at the manufacturer’s with fuel consumption reduced by approximately 0.3 liters per 100 kilometers.

What is the status of your hybrid initiative?

Michael Paul:

We have had a good response to our product offerings from our passenger car and commercial vehicle customers. ZF provides mild or full hybrid solutions, which enable significant fuel savings and emission reductions, especially in city and delivery traffic. In the ideal case, that is, in a pure city cycle, fuel savings of up to 30 percent may be reached. Depending on the customer requirements, the entire ZF competence spectrum, ranging from the starting systems to a complete transmission system, can be offered to the customer.

ZF has become a global player over the last decades. Has the internationalization process been finalized?

Hans-Georg Härter:

No. The global markets develop dynamically, and they will continue to do so in the future. We need to follow our established customers into new markets. And we need to take active advantage of the opportunities presented by new customers in new markets. ZF is currently well positioned globally in all regions and markets. As a leader in technology, our customers include all major vehicle manufacturers and we have a network with 119 production locations and many service companies on all continents in order to serve them. For us, global market presence means securing and expanding established markets. At the same time, we wish to use the interesting potential of the fast-growing new markets. I therefore consider further intensification of global activities a must.

What exactly does globalization mean in the daily business of an automotive supplier?

Reinhard Buhl:

Keywords in this context include global product development as well as definite openness for other cultures and distinctive logistics know-how. One good example in this regard is our axle systems business, with which we are meanwhile active on all continents. Our long-standing experience with complete axles, dating back to 1996, makes it clear that for this kind of systems business a whole bundle of capabilities has to be available, going way beyond the ordinary business of an automotive supplier: a worldwide network as well as organizational and logistics competencies and, last but not least, tight and highly efficient management at the sub-suppliers’.