- North America was ZF’s strongest growth market in 2012
- Increasing demand for fuel-saving passenger car technology
- SOP of 8- and 9-speed automatic transmissions for passenger cars in the US in 2013
In the time leading up to the 2013 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, ZF is well prepared for the increasing demand of its products in North America. In 2012, the NAFTA countries constituted the strongest growth market worldwide for ZF. With additional investments in the region, ZF wants to make sure that this trend continues during the coming years.
“Compared to the prior year, sales in the North American market sky-rocketed by 35 percent to $3 billion to more than $4 billion (respectively from EUR 2.3 billion to EUR 3.1 billion), thanks to the increasing demand for ZF’s fuel-efficient automatic transmissions,” says Dr. Stefan Sommer, ZF’s CEO, at a the NAIAS press conference. ZF would like to see this development progressively continue and for sales to increase to $5.5 billion (EUR 4 billion) by 2015. For this purpose, ZF plans to invest $700 million (EUR 540 million) in the region by then. Increased sales are also reflected by the greater, ongoing employment in the region. Last year, about 700 employees joined the ZF North American team, bringing the count to roughly 6,800 employees.
In the past, ZF has greatly invested in the North American market. This year, a new transmission plant in South Carolina will start its volume production. ZF will produce 8-speed automatic transmissions for standard drives and 9-speed automatic transmissions for vehicles with transverse-mounted front engines there. International passenger car manufacturers, primarily those with locations in the USA, are among the customers. The plant, in which ZF has invested $430 million (EUR 330 million) until now, can produce a total of 800,000 units per year.
With the addition of the new plant, the North American production network continues to expand. ZF now has 22 production locations in the market region, 16 of which are in the U.S. and six in Mexico. From these locations close to the international customers, ZF supplies them with an ever-broader range of products. In the automotive sector, this product portfolio comprises of axle drives and complete front and rear axle systems besides automatic passenger car transmissions. In addition, ZF Steering Systems, a 50:50 joint venture of ZF and Bosch, produces electric power steering systems in the U.S.; these also contribute to reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, thanks to their power-on-demand principle.
