WABCO, which was acquired by the ZF Group last year, was the very first company to introduce heavy-duty truck anti-lock braking systems (ABS) for commercial vehicles. Although conventional drum brakes still dominate the industry, ADB are gaining market share as OEMs and fleets seek to enhance safety and operational efficiency and benefit from flexible modular designs and ease of serviceability.
Braking systems are a key foundation of all vehicles. As such, increasingly automated and autonomous vehicle technologies are being integrated with truck braking systems. Critical to enhancing safety and extending commercial vehicle uptime, ADB is rapidly gaining in popularity. This is further fueled by the performance gains and ease of maintenance that ADB offers. For vehicles that are regularly in traffic and using their brakes frequently, ADB not only enables shorter braking distances over conventional drum brakes but it continues to deliver the same level of braking performance with virtually no brake fade. This is critical to enhanced vehicle and driver safety.
Today, many truck operators across the globe use air disk brakes as standard due to the clear competitive advantages of ADB. This is becoming increasingly important as India’s government, fleet owners, OEMs, and technology firms like as ZF strive to improve road safety across India and world-wide. In addition, autonomous and semi-autonomous truck platforms require the brake consistency offered by ADB or EBS for their performance efficiency.
ZF’s PAN™ ADB systems for commercial vehicles have a strong and long-standing history of success. Featuring a compact design created through state-of-the-art processes and employing proven single-piston technology, PAN ADB offers class-leading weight savings. This is further reinforced by using an enclosed steering system with robust metal caps as well as redundant pin guide and adjustment mechanisms. This results in important weight reductions and outstanding driving performance for all types of commercial vehicles which is reflected in its high customer satisfaction levels.
Through the integration of WABCO’s class leading brake-systems and trailer solutions into ZF’s portfolio of braking systems, suspension solutions, transmission, steering, axles & drivetrains, as well as connectivity solutions, customers can now access a whole integrated technical ecosystem, that offers greater value, thus helping the customer to maximize their profitability and gain a winning edge.