ZF expands CV product portfolio in India, starts new shock absorber production line

L-R: Suresh KV, president, ZF India; Thomas Flack, chief procurement officer, Tata Motors and Fredrik Staedtler, global head of commercial vehicle business, ZF Friedrichshafen at the inauguration of the new product line.

German component major ZF Friedrichshafen, a leading global supplier for driveline and chassis technology as well as active and passive safety technology, continues its growth and expansion in India. The company today announced the start of its new shock absorber production line in Chakan, Pune.

The new production a part of ZF’s regional headquarters based in Chakan, Pune, has an annual installed manufacturing capacity of 700,000 units, with plans to scale it up to three million units in three to four years.

Commenting on the occasion, Suresh KV, president of ZF India, said, “With the dynamic business environment of the country and initiatives like ‘Make in India’, ZF is focusing on significantly expanding its manufacturing capabilities in the country. With our wide array of products for commercial vehicles, we are already actively shaping the three megatrends in the Indian auto industry: safety, efficiency and e-mobility.”

The company says the completely localised production line will manufacture a comprehensive range of shock absorbers for commercial vehicles and industrial applications like trucks, buses and includes cabin and axle shock absorbers. The production line will be established in the existing multi-product facility and will offer operational synergies with the current set-up, which the company says will help to optimally utilise its resources. Furthermore, the manufacturing processes used in different global plant locations will be followed at the new production line.

Fredrik Staedtler, global head of ZF’s Commercial Vehicle Business said: “The rapid development of India’s infrastructure, implementation of new norms for emissions and new vehicle loads, as well as the electrification of vehicles and scrappage policy, are all set to trigger a demand for the upgrade of commercial vehicles."

"As a systems solutions provider, ZF is well positioned to play a significant role in the growth of the Indian commercial vehicle sector as OEMs seek to introduce the latest technologies to their CV portfolio. For example, our 9-speed transmission technology for commercial vehicles is already BS-VI compliant,” added Staedtler.