Press Release

ZF Services

2008/09/16 ZF Plus: International and individual service

ZF Plus service programs complete ZF driveline technology products and reduce downtimes
Worldwide supply of spare parts and swing units thanks to approx. 700 ZF Service Centers
ZF ervices makes its debut as system supplier with new products and services at the Automechanika fair

Commercial vehicle manufacturers and end customers – the international service provided by ZF Plus offers numerous advantages to both. ZF Services will be unveiled to the motor industry at this year’s Automechanika fair in Frankfurt. The new aftermarket organization, a merger of ZF Trading and the ZF Sales & Service Organization (SSO), sees the trade fair as an ideal forum for promoting existing know-how and new strengths. Special service packages allow for reliable planning and cost advantages for fleet operators of vehicles equipped with ZF transmissions. The worldwide network with approximately 700 Service Centers make the offered services available all around the globe.

Long-term customer satisfaction is generated by a number of factors. Increasing importance is attached to service availability and quality because they represent an increasing cost factor. "Today, end customers are expecting globally available service which helps them to reduce fixed and variable costs and, most important, to save time”, states Wolfgang Vogel, member of the Board of Management of ZF Friedrichshafen AG and Group Executive of the Commercial Vehicle and Special Driveline Technology division. This includes both avoiding expensive downtimes or breakdown costs - for example thanks to preventive diagnosis systems or swing units - and making service available quickly and worldwide. Increasingly often, service also means providing know-how on the vehicle and the transmission. It also comprises consulting services to learn how to realize further potential savings - fuel savings, for example - with the product in everyday life and in each individual case. ZF responds to these requirements with a comprehensive international service portfolio which is described by the name ZF Plus and based on four pillars: risk protection, maintenance, fleet service as well as training and consulting services.

The ZF Plus risk protection comprises the following three service packages: ECP (Extended Coverage Program), which covers all transmission system repair and maintenance costs over a period of five years or 1,000,000 km. The term of the LCC (Life Cycle Costs) module on the other hand is twelve years and covers all occurring repair and overhaul costs as well as maintenance costs for ZF units. Both modules can be made use of both for new vehicles and for vehicles which are still covered by the original warranty period. For special vehicles, it is possible to book the ZF-ForLife module which has been specially tailored to the needs of this vehicle segment. This module is a full-service contract which additionally includes the services of the LCC module. All modules feature an availability guarantee as well as assumption of costs for installation and removal of the transmission system.

One service element which is still important is maintenance because it offers the customer optimum protection and allows for the calculation of operating and service costs. This way, investments can be planned in a targeted manner and without risks. Uneconomical downtimes which can be caused by spontaneous failure can also be reduced or shortened by having swing units delivered. In order to prevent damage and to increase the transmission service life, ZF Plus offers preventive overhaul for a fixed price. The global network with meanwhile approximately 700 Service Centers guarantees quick and worldwide provision of swing units or spare parts as well as processing of special requests (retrofit or overhaul campaigns).

Thanks to the additional fleet service offered by ZF Plus, it is possible to have long-distance and long-term monitoring of all electronically controlled ZF products. This way, errors can be identified early or even avoided. By adjusting the basic transmission software also older transmissions can meet modern comfort and economy requirements. The ZF MissionSoft package allows for customized transmission control software adaptations for special routes or vehicle applications. This means that fuel savings can be attained and clutch wear can be reduced - thanks to an optimization of the shift points.

Considerable time and cost savings for the fleet owners are brought about by the ZF-Testman telemetry diagnosis. By means of this tool, all the essential diagnosis data can be read out via a cell phone and sporadically occurring faults in special driving situations can be identified on the basis of read-out GPS data before they cause vehicle failure.

Consequently, maintenance intervals can be optimally planned and costs for downtimes and repair are avoided. The Testman can be obtained for all commercial vehicle automatic transmissions, axles, and passenger car steering systems. Thanks to comprehensive transmission documentation, it is impossible to replace the wrong component and unnecessary additional costs are avoided. Faster error detection also leads to a higher level of vehicle availability. The downtime costs for the breakdown of a city bus can cost up to EUR 700 per day, for example.

Even better than finding errors is to prevent them together with the possibly expensive damage they could result in. For this reason, ZF-Testman offers an early warning system. Via “preventive maintenance”, it monitors the electric voltage and oil temperature in transmission systems, for example. If a problem arises, such as constantly excessive oil temperature or the like, the program issues a precautionary message.

Also training and consultation on different topics, such as how to reduce fuel consumption, are part of the ZF Plus service portfolio. What is also important in this context is the Ecofluid transmission oil, developed by ZF in cooperation with renowned lubricant manufacturers. Training sessions on its characteristics and other ZF products are provided for drivers and customers in order to ensure optimum use of the product. Also the driving style makes a contribution to low consumption. For this reason, ZF Plus offers consulting and training service for an optimum driving style and the best driveline design. The operating data analysis service by ZF Plus also includes consulting about potential optimizations. The control software of automatic transmissions, for example, can be improved on the basis of operating data.

For further information: Automechanika 2008 Press Kit