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ZF in Gray Court grows again

BUSINESS -- ZF ready for production of commercial vehicle PowerLine transmission in the U.S.; preparing for fall launch at Gray Court, SC manufacturing facility

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• Newly implemented production line is ready as part of the $200 million investment in Gray Court, SC manufacturing facility

• Production slated to begin Fall 2023 and will primarily serve North American customers and markets

LIVONIA, Michigan. ZF announced today the PowerLine 8-speed automatic transmission production line has been installed and testing is underway. The new production line is part of the $200 million investment in the ZF Transmissions Gray Court (Laurens County, South Carolina) manufacturing facility and will meet all USMCA requirements.

“The ZF PowerLine transmission, with its efficiency focused architecture, provides outstanding performance and comfort, and helps commercial vehicle manufacturers and fleets meet tough CO2 targets in a cost-efficient way,” said Christian Feldhaus, Director Commercial Vehicle Driveline Systems, Americas, ZF Group. “We are pleased to announce the launch of the largest production capacity for PowerLine worldwide, serving our North American customers.”

In total, the new PowerLine project will employ more than 500 people, and has the capacity to produce more than 200,000 transmissions per year. "PowerLine is full of great attributes focused on what matters: safety, total cost of ownership, efficiency, and reliability," added Feldhaus.

Innovative Transmission Technology

The ZF PowerLine transmission is designed to be used in trucks, buses, and other commercial vehicles, up to some vocational Class 8 applications. It is based on ZF’s 8-speed automatic transmission family. The highly innovative and patented layout provides a wider-spread gear range with fewer moving parts, reducing friction and, therefore, improving fuel efficiency. The fully integrated transmission architecture helps to improve the total cost of ownership of PowerLine-equipped vehicles and boosts vehicle uptime with high reliability.

Available to North American customers since 2021, the PowerLine transmission was introduced in Europe in 2020 and was initially produced at ZF’s global headquarters in Friedrichshafen, Germany. The Gray Court, SC manufacturing facility, which opened in 2012 and has to date produced more than 7.3 million automotive transmissions, is the first in the U.S. to produce the PowerLine transmission. 

Today, the 1,687,000-square-foot facility employs roughly 2,700 people.

About ZF

ZF is a global technology company supplying systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology, enabling the next generation of mobility. ZF allows vehicles to see, think and act. In the four technology domains of Vehicle Motion Control, Integrated Safety, Automated Driving, and Electric Mobility, ZF offers comprehensive product and software solutions for established vehicle manufacturers and newly emerging transport and mobility service providers. ZF electrifies a wide range of vehicle types. With its products, the company contributes to reducing emissions, protecting the climate and enhancing safe mobility.

With some 165,000 employees worldwide, ZF reported sales of €43.8 billion in fiscal 2022. The company operates 168 production locations in 32 countries.