ZF
Friedrichshafen AG has expanded its E-Mobility division with new buildings and
locations. The technology company opened a new building for administration,
R&D, and sales at the divisional headquarters in Schweinfurt. In Pancevo
near the Serbian capital of Belgrade, a new plant for electric drives will go
into operation next week.
With
the new building in Schweinfurt, ZF has created space for around 520 employees.
The workspaces are based on ZF’s office 3.0 concept, which enables
project-based, flexible working and makes it easier for employees to
communicate with each other. “This modern office concept creates the perfect
all-purpose working environment. It reflects the transformation in the working
world, which is now marked by agility and digitalization. We want to provide
our outstanding employees with an outstanding place to work,” commented Jörg
Grotendorst, Head of the E-Mobility division. The EUR 30 million building is
also home to 16 Test Benches and checking facilities that can be used to test
electric and hybrid drives and their components.
With
more than 9,400 employees, Schweinfurt is one of the biggest ZF sites in the
world. ZF is also the biggest employer in the Lower Franconia region. In
addition to the E-Mobility division founded in 2016, ZF’s Aftermarket division
is also run from Schweinfurt.
New Production Sites for Electric Drives
ZF
is also expanding the E-Mobility division and increasing its production
capacity at two other sites. Next week, after just a year of construction work,
the new Pancevo plant will go into operation. At the plant, located 14
kilometers northeast of the Serbian capital of Belgrade, ZF will primarily
produce electric motors, generators for hybrid and electric drives,
transmission selectors, and microswitches. This site is already being expanded
to meet the huge demand for these products. Around 1,000 employees are set to
work at the site in the future. Another production location for electric drives
is currently under construction in Hangzhou, south of Shanghai, China. This
plant is set to go into operation next year.
Member
of the Board of Management of ZF Michael Hankel said: “We want to offer our
customers outstanding technology solutions. Being successful in the long term
requires cost leadership as well as technology leadership. We can achieve these
targets through the high degree of commitment shown by our employees and with
our global production network. This gives us a balanced presence in different
regions, which in turn allows us to be close to our customers and create
competitive cost structures.”