Major Investments in Sustainability

Sustainability is an integral part of ZF Group's strategy. Its targets include complete climate neutrality by 2040. The extent to which the company invests in sustainability is shown by the transformation of the existing ZF factory in Klášterec, Czech Republic, in a climate-neutral one and the latest plant openings in Gray Court, USA, and Oragadam, India. With the expansion of its global production capacity, ZF is following a long-term growth and sustainability strategy, meeting demand in important market regions locally ("local-for-local") and save emissions that would otherwise be caused by transporting complete systems from remote locations. But that's not all. Sustainability plays a vital role in all these investments. Klášterec even serves as a blueprint for all ZF plants worldwide which are gradually being transformed to work completely climate-neutral. And ZF also contributes to the production of energy from renewable sources and thus to the decarbonization of the world with its wind power business unit. Wim Geens, our FuturesStarter of the month, is working in ZF's new test and prototype center for wind power systems in Lommel, Belgium. Learn more about him, all the investments in sustainability and other interesting topics in the second edition of our newsletter "To Mobility and Beyond". Enjoy!

What's new at ZF

ZF Opens First Zero-emission Factory in Klášterec, Czech Republic

At the production site for power electronics in Klášterec in the Czech Republic, ZF is opening its first zero-emission factory after a renovation period of just under a year and a half. The plant, which is part of the Electrified Powertrain Technology division, supports the company’s efforts to achieve climate neutrality across all value chains by 2040. It will be used as the blueprint for all ZF plants worldwide. The technology company is gradually shifting to sustainably generated energy at all locations, increasing the energy efficiency of processes, electrifying a significant proportion of its products and using recycled materials.

Learn more in our website story: Clean Factory of the Future – Now a Reality

ZF Inaugurates Plant in Oragadam, India

ZF's Commercial Vehicle Solutions (CVS) division opened a plant in Oragadam, India (Tamil Nadu Province). Chassis and electric components such as the air compressor for light and medium-duty commercial vehicles for the Indian and Asian markets will soon be produced there. ZF plans to operate the new location in India with 100% renewable energy. The facility has a solar plant that can generate up to 450 kWp, complemented by additional energy sourced from long-term contracts for solar and wind power to meet its ongoing energy-demand. And it is equipped with a system to collect and reuse rainwater and is expected to be water neutral by 2025.

Learn more about ZF’s investments in the commercial vehicles sector

Investment in Gray Court, USA

ZF continues its pursuit of Next Generation Mobility across passenger car as well as the spectrum of light, medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles with a planned $500 million investment in its Gray Court, South Carolina, facility. Offering everything from traditional ICE to e-mobility technologies, for both passenger car and commercial vehicle applications, ZF Gray Court is officially the company’s first flex manufacturing facility in North America. Through this planned investment, ZF will be adding new product lines in Gray Court over the next several years, including the launch of the 8-speed automatic transmission for plug-in hybrids (8HP Gen4 PHEV). Through PHEV technology, drivers are offered pure electric driving, and in addition, a highly efficient internal combustion engine. Additionally, ZF started local production of the efficient and hybrid-capable PowerLine transmission for light commercial vehicles for the North American market.

Learn more about ZF's planned investment in Gray Court

ZF Unveils Smart Seat Belt Technology

With its new seat belt system, ZF Passive Safety Systems will enable improved adaptation of the belt force limitation to the size and body weight of the vehicle occupants in the future. The Multi-Stage Load Limiter (MSLL) is primarily responsible for the individual system adjustment. It helps to further reduce the consequences of accidents for all occupants and enables car manufacturers to meet the increased requirements of the NCAP Roadmap 2030. The innovative approach of this technology lies not only in the individual control options of the component itself, but also in the extended possibilities for interaction with other safety systems. The MSLL switchable force limiter transforms the seat belt into an adaptable safety mechanism, offering intelligence and flexible control.

Learn more about ZF's smart seat belt technology

Post of the Month

Holger Klein , CEO ZF Group about the perks of individual mobility.

Our Highlight Picture

With the E-bike Through the Desert

ZF FutureStarter of the Month

Lord of the Winds Wim Geens

If it weren’t for Wim Geens ’ work, his customers could face dire consequences. When wind turbines stop, electricity stops being generated resulting in significant costs. ZF FutureStarter Wim Geens plans and develops test setups for wind turbine gearboxes and powertrains at ZF Wind Power in Lommel, Belgium.

Learn more about Wim Geens

What's Next:

• ZF's 2024 Annual Press Conference, March 21, 2024, 10 a.m. CET – mark it in your calendar, we will stream live on LinkedIn!
• LinkedIn Live Audio Event: Electrification in the Off-Highway Market. From less to zero. Join our audio event on March 13, 12:30 - 1 p.m. CET
• Mobility Move: ZF will present the latest key technologies for city bus manufacturers and fleets to drive decarbonization and make public transport more efficient at the conference and trade show (booth 60) in Berlin from March 5 to 7.
• Light & Building: ZF Energy Harvesting will be presenting various battery and wireless applications for building automation in Frankfurt (Hall 9.0, Stand E21) from March 3 to 8. Learn more about ZF's energy harvesting products
• ZF Bus Connect Webinar: Revolutionize your vehicles health with predictive maintenance and join our insightful webinar on March 19, from 2 to 3 p.m. CET. Register here
• FIA Formula E: Two races with ZF partner Team Abt Cupra will take place in March. First on March 16 in Sao Paulo, then on March 30 in Tokyo. Learn more on the official Formula E website