ZF, a leading worldwide automotive supplier for driveline and chassis technology with 123 production units in 27 countries, and with a workforce of 64,000 employees, achieved sales of 12.9 billion euros in 2010. In order to continue to be successful with innovative products, ZF annually invests more than five per cent of its sales in research and development.ZF’s presence in India spans over three decades through joint ventures and licence agreements. In 2007 it started its wholly-owned subsidiary in India, ZF India Private Ltd. Headquartered in Pune it represents ZF’s varied product divisions for sales, localisation and product support activities. The group’s off-road drive-line business unit has already started local production in Pune for axle and transmission aggregates for the construction equipment sector.
Since early this year axles and power-shift transmissions for backhoe loaders are produced at this location for key OEMs in India and overseas. Recently the group’s commercial & special drive-line technology division inaugurated its plant in Pune for production of truck gearboxes.
Furthermore, ZF is steadily increasing its service presence in India. Currently there are ZF-owned service centers in Pune, Raipur, Bangalore and a dealer location in Delhi. The idea is to quicken response time to field requirements.
It is quite evident that India is one of the key strategic markets for ZF, and the group has ambitious plans for the country. The company’s product program includes tractor transmissions, differentials, planetary rigid axles, planetary steering axles, hydrostatic powershift transmissions, hydrodynamic powershift transmissions, elevator drives, mixer drives, electric drives, portal axles, single-drive axles and systems, independent front axle suspensions, axle inserts, bevel gear sets, tie rods, drag links, torque rods and test systems.
The group’s product divisions enjoy a high degree of specialization. This competence linked with the experience in project management is the basis for ZF-system projects. As a competent supplier of components, units, systems and system modules, it meets the requirements of the car and mechanical engineering industry.
Today ZF takes the responsibility right from the project phase over planning, product development, testing, production development, quality assurance and logistics up to serial production. The ready-to-install modules or system modules are delivered just-in-time or just-in-sequence. In this way the vehicle manufacturers co-operating with ZF reduce their interfaces to the minimum.
Today ZF delivers complete driveline systems (axles, transmissions, electronics) for off-road equipment as well as complete front-and rear axle systems for on-road vehicles. For system solutions the synergy of the innovation capacities as well as the testing and development potential of all ZF company divisions are used and applied specifically.
Together with ZF as system partner customers benefit from numerous cost saving potentials such as reduced development, logistics, installation and handling expenditure. The stronger and more comprehensive the co-operation, the better and larger are the resulting synergies.
In its position as global player, ZF has a worldwide service network of 700 after-sales centers, thus providing optimum customer support on site.
Interview with Piyush Munot, Director, ZF India
In early 2010, ZF established an assembly plant in Pune to manufacture 10,000 axles and transmissions annually for construction and off-highway equipments.
Mr. Piyush Munot, Director, ZF India, says: “We initially started with supplying axles for backhoe loaders and we have now launched our second product, powershift transmission, which is the first of its kind in India. This product will significantly improve fuel efficiency and driver productivity”.
In India, currently most backhoe loaders are fitted with synchro-shuttle transmission. ZF is the first in India to introduce powershift transmission.
The new WG 90/94 off-highway powershift transmission is targeted at construction machinery, such as backhoe loaders, telehandlers and rough terrain forklifts. The new generation transmissions maintain quick reversing and high road speed characteristics and further improve quality and serviceability as well as reduce noise emission.
Globally, ZF’s powershift WG 90/94 has been in the market for over 3-1/2 years, and the first global customer was John Deere in the US. “We are talking to several equipment manufacturers in India for powershift transmissions and axles. We are also talking to Korean manufacturers who are setting up base in India and some Chinese manufacturers who have established manufacturing facility in India for construction equipment applications. Currently, axles are being assembled at the Pune facility with higher levels of localization”, Mr. Munot says.
The third product which the company plans to launch for off-highway segment by the mid of this year is axle for wheel loaders, which will be supplied to JCB for its new wheel loader to be launched in the market shortly. ZF will supply both the transmissions and axle for this model.
This year the company has projected sales of Euro 35 million. “We are working with Telcon on the wheel loader program, the grader program, soil compactor and mixer”, adds Mr. Munot.
ZF is also a major supplier of gear boxes for use in transit mixers. The company supplies its products to manufacturers like Schwing Stetter, Greaves, Lieberr and others. It has mapped India into key market segments – backhoe loaders, wheel loaders, transit mixers and soil compactors – on which it has its special focus.
