Globally, ZF has about 13,800 engineers working at various R&D centres and the company has invested 1.38 billion Euros in 2015, for research and development, which is now constituted of more than 100 development locations. ZF's first Technology Centre in India will be fully operational by 1st January, 2017. This year the component manufacturer has already launched its Electric Park Brake (EPB) technology in India and also inaugurated the ZF Hero Chassis systems Pvt. Ltd., a 50-50 JV between ZF India Pvt. Ltd. and Hero Motors Ltd. in Oragadam, Kanchipuram district.
Earlier this month Dr Stefan Sommer, CEO of ZF Friedrichshafen AG said, "This new facility is a significant investment for ZF in India. We are harnessing the skilled talent pool that India has to offer; in order to develop superior technology solutions for our global as well as local customers. Over the years, ZF has been successful in localising high technology products in India. As demand for software engineering grows, we will exponentially increase our capacity to help meet our customers' growth aspirations. With this Technology Centre, we are reinforcing our global R&D footprint as well as our commitment and investment, in the rapidly emerging Indian market."
ZF has been operating in the Indian market for more than three decades and post the acquisition of TRW in 2015, consequent to its joint venture with TVS and Rane groups, its overall experience, in India, now stands at over 50 years.
Ms Mamatha Chamarthi, senior vice president and executive lead for the new India Technology Center (ITC) said, "India offers a huge, technologically competent talent pool which aligns with the growing demand from our customers for advanced software, electronics and mechanical engineering. Access to this diverse talent base coupled with a progressive local government and robust infrastructure has made Hyderabad favorable for setting up the first technology center for ZF in India."
Currently, including JVs, ZF has 19 production facilities, with about 12,000 employees worldwide.
